Becoming Complete
by Icespirit5
Summary: Follow 'Que' Atara within the X-Men universe. Her story takes place after X-Men Apocalypse. It engages into the full depth of what it might be like to be a student with extraordinary gifts at the Xavier Institute. This is my first story, and I am excited to share it with everyone. This series is being composed in 3 parts. Book 1: Inchoate, Book 2: Recrudescenes, and Book 3: TBD
1. Inchoate: Chapter 1: The Storm

**Chapter 1: The Storm**

The night was fierce as sheets of rain pounded the small town. Hurricane Owen was hitting the coast hard. It had died down after its first landfall, but came back with a vengeance after a brief retreat out to sea.

Shingles and debris flew in all directions, as waves pounded the ever rising shoreline. The only lights to be seen in the small ocean town were the small flickers of candles in the window panes. The power was out for miles along the coastline where Owen was wreaking havoc. There was however one beacon of light shining into the pitch.

The lighthouse that stood just outside of town was supposedly managed by a reclusive family. The previously decommissioned aid to navigation had stayed lit every night, in fog, and through every storm for the past four years since the new management. How they kept power during a storm like this no one could fathom. Many chalked it up to "good generators and a reserve of acetylene" or jokingly "ghosts of lost seamen." In reality, there was only one who lived there.

As the focal plane of the lighthouse stretched out over the rough water, the wind howled through the tower and small cottage attached. Part of what the town thought was true. It was powered by some extremely powerful generators, but the generators themselves were powered by something else entirely.

Earlier that day, the small town on the coast had bare witness to a most extraordinary sight.

Low rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance, but this did not disturb the townsfolk. People were hustling about picking up last minute supplies, while local kids were continuing to play kickball in the park. Second and third base were raring to run while a brunette girl of about 14, was up to kick. A boy with dark black curls eyed home plate with a determined grin.

"You sure you're ready for this Atara." the youth taunted.

The girl's blueish grey eyes flashed as she shouted "You're going to wish I wasn't!"

Another girl stood by the sidelines acting as the commentator for the nonexistent spectators.

"And there's some trash talk going on on the field folks! If Que Atara kicks this right, the Pink Flamingos will have wrapped up this game with 3 more runs!"

"Amy! We are not the Flamingos! We agreed on Sirens this time!" Que shouted. As she turned back, the boy pitched the ball straight down the center, hard and fast. The ball made contact, sailed over the boy playing shortstop, and into far left field. The kids ran around like lightning. The first two players already sliding into home plate, and Que racing up to second and onward.

"Jayden has thrown the ball from left field to Antonela at second. Que is rounding third! Pitcher Sean has the ball! It's going to be a sliding finish! Go Que! Slide home!" Amy screamed.

Sean dived as Que slid hard across the dirt.

"Safe!" the boy reffing shouted.

The whole team erupted into joyous shouts and ran onto the field, clapping Que on the shoulders. High fives were sent toward the other two players who made it home as well.

A miffed Sean got out of the dirt. "Lucky kick."

"Your team buys at the store today Sean," Que said.

The kids were making a ruckus outside the general store, which was not a surprise to anyone. They frequented the venue after such Tuesday afternoon games. They were all sitting on the curb enjoying what was left of the breezy summer day, having chips, soda, and some assortment of candy.

Que was working through her pretzels and Orange Soda, when she suddenly started to feel light headed. She ignored the feeling until a flash of pain prickled in the back of her skull.

"Not now," she mumbled.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to head home. I probably need to help at the beacon before the storm hits," Que replied.

As Que walked toward her home by the sea, the flashes of pain were becoming more frequent and intense. Her vision blurred and was accompanied by a splitting migraine.

The rain started and her pace quickened. She had to get out of town as fast as possible.

She thought she had spent enough on the generators earlier. It had to have been enough

Then, the ground started to rumble and Que went into a full tilt run, heading for the lighthouse as the rain, now coming down in thick sideways sheet, soaked through her clothes.

The town disappeared in the falling rain as she reached the shoreline, but before she could go any further, her body spasmed and she let out a blood curdling scream. A violent tremor shook the ground as energy ripped through her entire body. The energy shot up through the sky like lightning from the ground. It lasted only a few seconds and the tremors ceased. Que collapsed in the mixture of sand and now glass below her feet, breathing heavily.

She had to get home.

Que sat alone in the dimly light living space of the cottage adjacent to the lighthouse. The majority of the room was sparse. There was small kitchen area with an equally small round table and single chair. By the front door stood a wooden coat rack, a welcome mat, and a pair of muddy sneakers from the wet run home. On the other half of the room, where one might have a couch or television, was a large clear desk with a couple flat screen monitors, blueprints, and fine hardware tools hanging on the connecting wall. Strewn across the desk were more blueprint, microchips, wires, and other bit of material for tinkering.

It was well after midnight, yet Que could not sleep. This was not completely out of the norm for her, but the sleepless nights made for a much harder day to follow. She checked in on the generator and gave it a boost every hour or so, but mostly, she was contemplating the events of that afternoon.

She didn't understand what had happened. She had been able to fill up the generator to the max this morning. How did she still have that kind of a build up?

She'd noticed that her powers had been more intense as of late when recharging things or even just manipulating the breeze by the shore. She had accidentally cause a couple of small sand funnels without even noticing as well. Then, there were the tremors. Those had been put to rest years ago, or at least she thought they had. She had not had one since… well not for a _very_ long time and under much different circumstances.

There was so much energy flowing around now. She thought it was just the storm, but she could feel it pulsing more than she use to. It was as if every fiber of her being was connect to it all, like a spider feeling the vibrations in its web. If Que was not careful, she could really make a mess of the life she had built in the town and possibly destroy the town itself.


	2. Cloudy with a Chance of Flying Waffles

**Chapter 2: Cloudy with a Chance of Flying** **Waffles**

A week had passed since hurricane Owen hit the coast. There was a good bit of damage in town and the people were working their hardest together to help clean up. As usual, the lighthouse and cottage were untouched, so Que spent her time helping with repairs around town. It was funny to think that it wasn't until the past year that she dared venture into town or speak to others there.

The three years prior, she spent most of the time at the lighthouse upkeeping it and doing some side business with online entrepreneurship. She only knew the kids from the park in passing until this year as well. They all went to the local schools and had average hobbies, no big deal. When Que decided it was a safe enough time to grow into the community a little, new challenges presented themselves.

Hacking in computer files and creating fake personas was the easy part. Keeping up the appearance of actually living with a family could be challenging.

Her story was not very inventive and anyone who might have taken a closer look would have definitely raised an eyebrow. She told everyone her parents were not much for going out, and they homeschooled her. When people came by, it was easy to pretend they were working on the beacon.

"It takes a lot to keep this old thing up and running you know." she'd say. Now most of the town was to busy to ask or did not bother to look any further, which was fine for Que. She'd been alone for a long time now and that was how it needed to stay, especially with her sudden power surges.

Her powers had a couple of flare ups that week, but nothing like the streak she'd sent rocketing into the sky or the tremors. The occasional sparks, gusty gales, and a bit heavier nearby surf were nothing too major, even if it was a nuisance. Yet, she knew another build up was coming.

Que and a few of the town youths, got together one afternoon to help repaint one of the local grocery stores that had lost a wall during the storm. The outside was to be a pale yellow with bold, blue lettering for the name, "Sam's Corner!"

Que was late and having a good bit of trouble with her energy regulation. That morning, she accidentally overpowered one of the light house generators and was caught in a constant breeze wherever she went.

She hoped painting would help take the edge off and calm her nerves.

She was right for a while. Her sudden gales settle down into a gentle breeze, and she hadn't had any sparks. It also didn't hurt that the majority of the paint brush handle was wooden.

Before long, the sun was beating down bright and fierce. The group was just finishing up the final touches to the navy word border when a black Mercedes Benz pulled up to the diner across the street. Out of the sedan came a young white haired woman and, with some assistance, a bald man in a wheelchair. Both were in business casual that of which might be seen in a school. They went into the dinner without a second glance from the group of motley teenagers covered in paint across the street. Only 5 minutes later, the group was finished and headed to the diner for an early dinner, courtesy of Sam himself.

The teens sat in the diner and were rather boisterous after their accomplishment. Que, Antonela, and three others sat at the countertop while Amy, Sean, and the rest of their fellow workers sat in booths adjacent to the kitchen. Only Que and a few others out of the dozen sat quietly, most of them from exhaustion. Que was contemplating how to fix the generator and failed to notice the slight breeze that had picked up in the diner. Outside, a breeze is quite normal. Inside, not so much. She didn't notice it until Sean unceremoniously hollered "Someone shut the back door! It's causing a draft."

He had just caught his napkins from flying off the table, and the kitchen staff ignored him. They were quite use to his antics. Que realized what was happening and attempted to smother the wind.

All the while at the other end of the diner, the middle aged, bald man and white haired woman sat talking quietly over coffee, waffles, and eggs. The bald man had taken notice of the slight breeze and comment by the boy. They seemed unperturbed by the rowdy bunch of youths and would have a front row seat to watch the next few events unfold.

Que was not being very successful at calming the winds, so she turned to Antonela, who was loudly reprimanding Sean in the neighboring booth.

"Hey Antonela, I'm feeling a little sunburned from today. I'm going to head out." Que said quietly. She attempted to slide inconspicuously out of her chair when Antonela turned quickly toward her.

"What?" she started to say but she knocked herself, Que, and a coffee cup onto the floor in the process. The coffee spilled and the glass mug shattered and slit a deep gash in Que's arm as they tumbled onto the floor.

As pain seared up Que's arm, the ground began to tremble and gale force winds erupted in the dinner. The lighting flicked and burst as electricity crackled above them. Drinks spilled, waffles flew, kids screamed and napkins sailed through the air. Sean was slapped in the face by an overturned plate of waffles. Cola spilled down another boy's shirt, and Amy was crying from being hit with some stray eggs and utensils. The dinner was in entire chaos.

The woman from across the diner jumped into action and ran over to the injured girl, trying to calm her. The woman wrapped the girl's jacket around the cut.

Still crouched on the ground, Que didn't know what to do. She could feel and somewhat hear the stranger near her, but she couldn't focus, couldn't think. Her veins pulsed with the energy around her. From the lights, the air, and even the people, the streams of energy assaulted her nervous system.

Then, suddenly there was a voice, but she couldn't identify the source.

" _Its okay, calm your mind. Breath._ _Let Ororo help you. It will stop. Just calm your mind, and I can help you."_

The voice was calm, gentle, and reassuring.

Que felt the tremors subside and the wind slow, but she was terrified. The diner was in shambles, and her companions faces were streaked with tears and filled with fear. Antonela lay motionless on the floor next to her. Was she okay?

What had Que done? She had ruined everything. Everyone would know. She pulled out of the women's grasp and raced out the door.


	3. Chapter 3: Second Thoughts

**Chapter 3: Second Thoughts**

Back in the diner, the woman called Ororo was helping a befuddled Antonela to her feet and checking her for any sign of injury. It seemed she had received a minor shock from the event, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Professor, everyone seems to be okay aside from some slight bumps and scratches."

The man on wheels responded, "Thank you Ororo. I will take care of the rest while you ready the car."

As the woman left, the Professor turned to the teens and staff with two fingers pressed to his temple. The patrons' and servers' eyes glazed over and everything was calm as he rolled out the door.

No one knew what happened. A sudden after gust from the storm maybe?

Out in the car, the man and woman discussed a plan.

"I am having some trouble keeping a lock on her. Her mind is in complete chaos. It seems she has some mental defenses that are preventing me from getting better look, but from what I can tell, she is headed toward the beach. Back in the diner, I was able to see a brief glimpse of a lighthouse. I think she may live there."

The woman gazed out at the road as they headed toward the beach. "Professor, do you think we should have brought someone else? You saw what happened in the diner. I don't know if I was your best choice to bring along. Maybe Jean, or you could call up Raven. They have a lot more experience and control than I do."

"Ororo, your gifts are very similar to hers it seems. There is a reason we call you Storm. Also, I wouldn't have brought you if I wasn't absolutely confident in your abilities," the man replied.

They drove in silence for the next few moments. Ororo mulling over what Charles had said. He was one of the most accomplished mutants she had ever known. He was her mentor, and now her dear friend. She trusted him with her life and thus she should trust his judgement, but 'what ifs' still tainted the corners of her mind.

As they neared the shoreline Charles spoke up.

"You know Ororo, Jean and Raven and even myself have fought, and continue to fight, our battles to take control over our own abilities. You have done exceedingly well, but I do understand your doubts and fears. I do hope that, with time and experience, you will be able to reassure yourself of this fact."

The silence in the car continued. Charles felt the tension in the young woman's mind ease some. He made a point not to invade others privacy, but he could not help sensing the stronger emotions.

"How will we know where on the beach she is? There are miles of coastline, and we don't know what direction she…" Ororo was abruptly cut of by the sound of an explosion and a streak of lightning originating from the ground less than a mile from them. They looked toward where the sound and light had originated. In the distance stood a lighthouse and possibly a cottage, but it seemed to be in a haze. There was a sand storm enclosing the feature.

"I don't think we'll need to search anymore, but we need to hurry," Charles entoned.


	4. Chapter 4: A Crowded Tiny House

**Chapter 4: A Crowded Tiny** **House**

As Que ran to the lighthouse, sand started whirling about. It stung as it hit her face and flannel bandaged arm. She was going to make it. Just to the generator was all she needed to let off a little steam. She didn't care if she blew the fuse. That could be fixed, exposure could not. Unfortunately, she miscalculated. She was trudging through the sand, not ten yards away when it hit. The violent energy could not be contained any longer. Like before, the tremors resumed and a bolt of energy rippled agonizingly through her body. It shot larger than before into the sky with a defining crack and lasted several seconds. When the beam of white hot energy faded, Que collapsed unconscious onto the sand.

The black Mercedes-Benz pulled up to the cottage quickly, just as the beam faded from the sky. In the sand a few yards away, lay the girl from the diner. Ororo ran over to the unconscious girl and brought her back to the catwalk by the cottage.

Once she helped Charles into his chair on the dock, they started toward the cabin with Que in tow. The keys were latched to her backpack for easy access in her hurry home, and the pair found the correct one quickly. It was nicely labeled with a lighthouse keychain.

When they entered, Charles and Ororo were a bit surprised at what they saw. The kitchen and all was very common place, but the advanced blueprints and electronics by the desk were quite impressive.

They didn't have time to be impressed though. The Professor rolled toward the back hall and into a bedroom.

"Help me put her on the bed, and then see if you can find a first aid kit, a bowl for some warm water, and some clean linens," Charles instructed Ororo.

While the white haired woman searched, Charles check the young girl's pulse and wound. The cut from the mug was not too deep, but it would definitely need a few stitches. Otherwise, the girl just seemed mentally expended and would probably be up in a couple hours at most.

 _Storm, once you find supplies, would you please bring about a small thundershower? We wouldn't want to cause panic in the town. Best make it seem like just some lightning._

Storm received the Professors message and immediately went to multitasking. Small thunderstorms were fairly easy. When she got back to the room, there was a nice shower coming down over the town and the Professor went to work cleaning and patching up the cut on the girl's forearm.

Once finished, the pair of adults took turns meandering about the house, not that there was much to explore. It seemed the child in the bedroom lived by herself. "A run away perhaps?" Charles mused as he settled himself with one of the books from the shelf in the bedroom, while Ororo went to check on her storm.

When Que started to wake up, she felt like her brain had blown a fuse. She was very disoriented, but when she finally started to recall what had occured, she grew more concerned. The last thing she remembered was collapsing in the sand. Outside. She wasn't outside anymore. Que's eyes flew open and she bolted upright.

 _"Hey, it's okay. You are safe. We are not going to hurt you."_

It was the male voice from the diner, but what she was hearing was not by her ears. She realized it was inside her mind! She then notice the male silhouette on the other side of the room, and proceeded to tumble onto the floor from across her bed. Her arm flared with a tearing sensation. Swearing under her breath, Que tried to ignore the pain and get her bearings.

"Que you have nothing to fear. We just want to help," the man repeated gently, out loud this time

"How do you know my name? Who sent you? Who is we?" Que said defiantly as a breeze picked up in the room. She searched for her best possible exit. The man was in a wheelchair, so she liked her odds of getting away. However, she did not like the unknown variable that was 'we'.

"I understand this must be very confusing. My name is Charles Xavier and my friend, who is just outside, is Ororo Monroe. We are like you. We have gifts. No one has sent us. I promise we will tell you everything, but if you could, please come back around and have a seat. I think you may have torn your stitches," he was speaking out loud now.

Just then, a white haired woman appeared in the doorway. At first her eyes cloudy white, then fading to what Que assumed to be their normal color.

"Ah, Ororo come in. We have some explaining to do," Charles said to the woman.

"Of course," Ororo replied pulling up a chair next to Charles.

Slowly, Que came around and perched on the edge of her bed in front of Charles. Her arm was really hurting, and when she looked down she surprisingly discovered it was wrapped neatly in clean, white gauze. However, there were some spots of blood starting to appear, staining through the bandage.

Charles pulled out a first aid kit, Que assumed was from her bathroom. He removed the bandage and recleaned the cut while recounting his story.

"We came here looking for you actually. I am a telepath you see, and I have a machine that allows me to connect with other mutants around the world. We specifically picked you up a few days ago. It seems you have been having some trouble with you gifts. Yes?" He glanced up catching her with a reassuring smile and knowing look in his blue eyes.

Que shifted uncomfortably, gave a slight nodded, but sat silently as he continued.

"My goal, well our goal, is to help young people, such as yourself, learn to control your gifts, and as such, become a more productive member of society. We are from Westchester, New York where I have started a school for the gifted." Charles said.

He started to restitch Que's arm. She winced ever so slightly at the sharp jabs.

"Sorry," he said apologetically before continuing. "Ororo was once my student there as well, and is now assisting myself and the other teachers train the next generation of young mutants, as we like to call ourselves." Charles paused and waited for the still silent girl to respond.

Que did not speak. How could she? Could she trust these people? They came out of nowhere claiming they wanted to help. She had heard that before, and it ended badly. She glanced at the woman in the chair.

"What do you do?" It was somewhat of rude question that one might ask of a circus act, but Que had to test these people.

"I can control and bring about different types of weather." Ororo replied coolly.

Hmm, she had an accent. North African perhaps? Que thought.

"I created a small storm just after you fell unconscious. The Professor thought it would help with any suspicions in town," the woman continued.

Que snapped out of her interrogation mode and immediately felt the overwhelming despair and shame consumer her.

The town! The diner and the other kids! Que moved her arm away from the Professor as he finished tying the stitches and put her head in her hands. How was she going to fix what she had done in town?

The Professor put a hand on her arm.

"It's alright. We took care of things there as well. All of your friends are fine," he said quietly.

She glanced up at him a little confused, but quickly settle on the easier route.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. She actually did feel quite grateful and gave them a small quick smile before letting her guarded gaze overcome her face again. "I would however appreciate you not reading my mind."

"We want to help you Que, and I make it a policy to not invade other people's privacy unless forced. Some thoughts when connected with heightened emotions are difficult to block out when I am in close contact. However, I did not have to read your mind to tell what you were thinking." The Professor paused giving Que a very serious look before continuing. "We would like to offer you a place at our school, so that you will have a safe place to learn to control your powers. There are others there with a variety of talents who are learning to do the same thing."

"You saw what happened in the diner and the accident outside. I am dangerous! You don't want me at your school! I could hurt or... or even kill someone if... if I…" Que trailed off.

"That is exactly why we want you to come. To help you learn control, so that won't happen anymore. We have all been there. Not knowing what to do or where to go. Terrified about what our actions could cost us and others." It was Ororo who had fervently spoken up this time. This was the most she had spoken since Que had woken up, and the passion and intensity with which she spoke was almost palpable.

The three sat in silence for several moments, during which Charles could feel the indecision, fear, and a faint sense of hope waring inside Que.

Then Que spoke.

"When do we leave?"


	5. Chapter 5: Lights in the Sky

**Chapter 5: Lights in the** **Sky**

Que, Ororo, and the Professor left the next afternoon on what they called the X-Jet. Regardless of the circumstances, this plane was sweet. Que couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship and tech of the jet, and it was the most Charles had heard her speak since they left the cottage that morning. Que talked for almost 30 minutes after takeoff. She had so many questions, comments, and even some suggestions for improvement.

Charles never realized what an icebreaker a nice aircraft could be.

After their conversation on the aerodynamics of the plane, the Professor started explaining more about the school.

All students had a senior staff mentor, attended regular classes to satisfy the the requirements for high school graduation, and had regular power training sessions. The academic placement might be a bit more difficult. Que hadn't been to a real school or classes in almost 8 years, but her self-taught skills and knowledge she had already acquired were quite substantial. They would have to see where she was at academically and go from there.

Professor Xavier would be her mentor along with the help of Storm, who had never had a mentee before. After that, they sat quietly for the majority of the ride, aside from a stray question now and then.

Que stared out at the clouds, exhausted. She couldn't believe the events of the previous day and would have never thought it could lead to her just dropping everything and leaving. Storm was right though, if she stayed, who knows the damage that she could cause. Que couldn't bare the thought of hurting more people, but she had a feeling that maybe these people could actually help her.

As the jet was on autopilot, Ororo had dozed off in the pilot seat leaving just Charles and Que awake, staring out at the night sky.

"When did you realize you were different?" Que asked quietly.

Charles looked up in surprise. They had not spoken in probably an hour.

"I was about 9, but I did not recognize what was really going on until after Primary school."

"What do you mean?" she prompted.

"Well, I heard voices, and it took me a few years to realize I wasn't crazy. The voices were not in my head but were coming from the people around me. It took time and a lot of practice to finally be able to tune them out. That is also part of the reason I founded the institute, so I could provide a place for others to learn and grow together. It is very isolating when you have no one like you," Charles explained turning to face Que. Whether it was his position or just that there wasn't enough time in a day, very few students ever ask him about his experience.

"Que, can you tell me a little more about your gifts?"

"What? Other than I can be a bit breezy, and the beacon by my house wasn't actually that necessary?" Que smirked, but Charles sat patiently through her attempted evasion.

She glanced down before continuing. "It's hard to really explain. I guess the best way I can describe it is that I can control the natural energy around me. I can create light, lightning, wind, and cause small earthquakes. I can feel everything, their energy, the flowing of a river, the breeze, living things too. They all have streams of energy, and it's like I'm connected to them, like a spider and its web. When those streams build or block up, things happen."

"I'm sure that can be quite overwhelming," Charles said nodding in understanding.

"But it isn't all bad, I guess," Que said tentatively, holding out one fist. Slowly, she opened it revealing a small orb of light no bigger than a quarter. It was quite beautiful.

"I have had my abilities for as long as I can remember. They have changed, well I guess developed more, as I have gotten older, but I've always been able to do this," She smiled gazing at the light and continued. "It isn't dangerous or anything. I really don't know how it works, but it's peaceful to me somehow."

She let the light drift off her hand toward the Professor. It was like a firefly dancing in the night. Charles cupped his hands, and Que let it rest within them. She was right. It didn't hurt and there was a warmth about the orb that put the aging man at ease as he gazed into the sparkling sphere before it dimmed away.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. It was quite beautiful," Charles said.

They sat in silence for a moment or two more before the Professor spoke up again. "It is probably best you try and get some rest. We should be landing in an hour."

With that they both settled back down to have a brief reprieve before what would be a very early first day.


	6. Chapter 6: New Beginnings

**Chapter 6: New Beginnings**

The X-Jet arrived at the school just before sunrise the following morning. Que would hardly call it a school though. The giant feature was more like a picturesque castle if she ever saw one. First, there was a rolling green lawn that stretched around the grounds encased by woods. A small beach could be seen on the edge of what the Professor said was Breakstone Lake. The lake was around the side of the mansion and stretched just into the treeline. To top it all off, the tree lined drive led up to a fountain proceeding the entrance of the giant mansion.

Once off the jet, the Professor excused himself, apologizing and promising to check back in later. He had to check on things around the mansion since he had been away, and Storm was tasked with showing Que around.

The duo started off on the top floor and worked their way down. At the very top of what many called the X-Mansion, were the living quarters. The girls were on one side of the floor and the boys on the other, each with their own common area. In between the sections was the Professor's bedroom and upstairs office, some laundry rooms, and a reading area.

On the girl's hall there were many bedrooms. Some room were shared with two people and had a bathroom and others were singles. Que got a corner room to herself, but she would have to use the hall bathroom. She absentmindedly wondered if this was on purpose. She had her own closet, bed, and nice large windows facing out of the side of the house. Even though she didn't have a whole lot to put in it, she had never had a room quite like this.

On the ground floor below, there were several classrooms, a library, living rooms, the Professor's main office, the kitchen, a couple of dining rooms, and of course the main entrance area.

Below that were the basements. Que couldn't believe the size of this place. It had three basements! In the first basement there wasn't much to see, just some storage, utilities, the computer main frame area, and a workshop. Que couldn't help but notice something off about the computer main frame. The computer power, memory, and processing speed for what she had seen already was a tad unnecessary. The sheer amount of hardware in the main frame could support NASA, or maybe it was for that searching device the Professor had mentioned earlier. "Where do they kept it, and how does it work?" she thought.

They moved on down to the sub basement, and it was quite impressive! There was another pool and gym, all specifically for training, and a medical room for accidents. The bio-chem. and electronic laboratories got Que quite excited, but Storm informed her, for now, she would need permission to come down to this floor. There were also dormitories for the senior staff if needed. She unfortunately didn't get to see all the rooms or the second sub basement before they returned upstairs because they were off limits.

"Where is the machine the Professor talked about? The one that helped him find me," Que asked quizzically as they got onto the elevator.

"Oh, Cerebro? No, that area is definitely off limits to students, and besides I couldn't show it to you even if I wanted to. The Professor is the only one who can get inside," Storm replied, smiling, somewhat apologetically, in response to Que's annoyed expression.

Once they got back upstairs, they headed outdoors. On the grounds, there were several features Que had missed in their dim descent to the mansion, and her annoyance instantly disappeared. To describe the estate as beautiful was an understatement. In full daylight, Que could fully appreciate the lush green trees and lawn, the spacious gardens with blooming flowers, and the crystal clear lake sparkling in the mid-morning light. While enjoying the breathtaking view by the lake, Ororo showed Que the boathouse, a courtyard with some basketball courts, and the outdoor swimming pool.

After the tour, Ororo and Que headed back inside for some breakfast. Ororo noticed Que seemed fairly at ease and even amazed during the tour, but as they headed back toward the house a breeze picked up. Storm's powers were similar to Que's, but when Storm tugged at it there was a clear difference. She found the breeze was more fluid than her own, thus she could not quite take control of it. She didn't know much about the grey eyed girl, but she did know the breeze tended to coincide with her heightened emotions.

Ororo spoke up in attempt to lighten the mood. She was one of her mentors after all. "So, what do you like to do in your free time?"

Que glanced up, "I like building things I guess."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, I built the generators for the lighthouse. They have the capacity to store eight times the amount of energy as what you would find in most places, and they have a ground circuit where I can discharge them at will. I also like tinkering with different types of transportation. I had a motorbike in the lighthouse that I was working on. Building things is how I earned the name Que," she continued.

"Que isn't your real name? The Professor even calls you Que," Storm said astonished. It wasn't like the Professor to use just some random nickname.

"I've had it for a long time, and I guess it's really how I refer to myself now. It was given to me in reference to Q from the James Bond movies," Que explained. Storm noticed she did not offer any clues to her real name and decided it was best to let the matter drop for now.

"Wow, I'll have to introduce you to Hank McCoy first then. He is one of the teachers here, and he helped design the X-Jet," Storm responded impressed.

"You mean someone here built it! That's awesome!" Que exclaimed her breeze dying some.

The pair headed inside to the kitchen where a few people had gotten up to eat. When they walked in, there were a couple of mumbled "Good morning Storm."

Then, a tall, slender man with brown hair, glasses, and a cup of coffee in hand approached the pair. "Good morning Storm. Who is this?"

"This is Que, Hank. She is joining us here at the institute. The Professor and I just got back. Que, this is Dr. Hank McCoy. I told you about him earlier," Storm said as Que nodded in recognition.

"I hear you designed the X-Jet. It's a fine piece of work. How did you make it achieve such high ..." Storm zoned out as Que and Hank discussed the jet's ever impressive systems.

Hank was genuinely impressed and thrilled that someone took an interest in the finer workings of his jet. Most of the time people would just complement him that it was a "sweet plane."

Que was quite hesitant at first while talking with Dr. McCoy. She did not get to talk about this type of thing back on the coast. Que knew it would draw too much attention if she did. They continued their chat while Hank showed her where all the different foods and cooking supplies were stored. Que thought it was funny the amount of cereal and milk they kept, and she settle on frying a couple eggs. As she cooked, she and Hank discussed more programming, inventions, and theories. He introduced her to a few of the other mutants walking in, which wasn't many. It was Sunday, so most were sleeping in.

"Que," Storm said getting her attention. "If you are are okay and don't mind, I would like to freshen up. You are welcome to roam about the mansion and the grounds as you like. If you get lost or need something, I'm sure Hank and the other students will help you out, and I can catch up with you later."

"Yeah, I'll survive. Thanks, Storm," Que replied. Storm noted that it was the first time Que had used her code name. She smiled warmly at the youth before heading out.


	7. Chapter 7: The Senior Staff

**Chapter 7: The Senior Staff**

Once Charles was back at the mansion, he headed down to Cerebro in the second sub basement. Que's powers were extraordinary, but they did not quite answer his questions about what had been going on.

Early last week, not long before he happened upon Que, he and Hank had picked up some environmental disturbances. The most notable had been small fluctuations in Earth's magnetic fields and some unidentifiable micro-particulate matter in the atmosphere. There had also been reports of multiple species altering their migration patterns. Charles feared the possibility that these were signs indicating Apocalypse's return. Maybe they were not truly rid of him.

 _"Professor? You're back! How did everything go?"_

Jean Grey, now a part of the senior staff, had just woken up.

 _"Ah, yes. Good morning Jean. How are you this morning?"_ Charles thought back to her.

There was an anxious edge to the Professor's thoughts, and Jean immediately picked it up.

 _"Professor, are you alright?"_ she asked.

 _"Everything's fine. I'll call a meeting after breakfast,"_ He assured her, though he felt anything but sure.

All of the senior staff gathered in the war or conference room not long after the Professor finished up in Cerebro. Around the table was the Professor, Quicksilver (Peter), Raven, Hank, Scott, Jean, Kurt, and Jubilee.

"Good morning everyone. I am glad to see the mansion is still in one piece. I have a few things to tell you. The first of which regards our new student Que. A few of you have already met her," Charles said nodding towards Hank. "I would ask that you all make her feel welcome like all of the other students and please notify me if you have any issues. From what we gathered, she has been on her own for quite some time, thus I do ask you to be vigilant. Since Storm has now joined us as a senior staff member, she and I will be Que's mentors."

Jean, Scott, and Kurt all gave approving smiles toward Storm who had just joined the table a tad late from breakfast. Hank stood up to speak when the Professor got to the most recent news.

"I have not yet been able to pinpoint an exact starting location of the phenomena, but we have found that there is a slow increase in weakly interacting and non-luminous particles called dark matter accompanied by fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field. There have been changes in creature migrations as well. The increase of this dark matter is slow, but there have been a few spikes."

At this, the Professor looked up. He and Hank hadn't been able to identify what the particles were before and had only discussed the one small spike in activity, but Hank had said a few.

Hank continued on "The largest spike occurred yesterday afternoon. Sorry Charles, I would have phoned you, but I figured you probably had your hands full. Before yesterday's spike I did not have much information, and I still don't, but it did allow me to identify it and find that it isn't localized. The dark matter can be found pretty much everywhere. The one exception is right along the north eastern seaboard of the United States."

"I don't understand. You said it was everywhere, but it isn't here? Why is that?" Scott asked.

"I don't know. Like I said, I don't have a whole lot to go on right now," Hank answered.

The meeting continued with the team making inferences and theories, but in the end, they came up empty handed and decided to just try and enjoy their Sunday. They would monitor the situation and look into the matter again if things changed.


	8. Chapter 8: Overload

**Chapter 8:** **Overload**

After breakfast Que kept mostly to herself, meandering the grounds. She found a large elm tree near the lake to climb and quietly observe the goings on around the mansion. There were many students out now, and a lot of them were enjoying themselves sunbathing and swimming in the lake. Others were playing games, reading and just relaxing around the grounds. Que enjoyed the quiet, peacefulness of being up in the tree. She let a gentle breeze blow across the campus to relieve some of the heat that beat down on her and the other students. She was glad some of her abilities could be useful.

Everything was still so new, not having to hid her powers, living and being around so many people. She had no idea what to expect, and she had never been great at making friends. It had taken her almost four years to get in with the local kids back home and that was all superficial. None of them knew her secret or anything about her aside from she could play kickball. To be perfectly honest, she had not really tried to get to know them well either. They were just there for appearances, which made her feel quite guilty when she thought about it. Had she just been using them? As she closed her eyes and contemplated, her light breeze became a bit more choppy and brisk.

Suddenly, Que heard a voice and almost fell out of the tree.

 _"Que would you mind joining Storm and I in the foyer? Also, I am sure the students have appreciated the light breeze you made earlier, but I'm afraid it's getting a bit gusty here on the grounds."_

It was the Professor. She was slightly embarrassed she had been caught and that it had gotten out of hand. Even though she knew there was nothing to be ashamed of, some habits die hard.

She started her climb down and made her way to the house. Once inside she found the Professor and Storm waiting for her.

"Hey Que, have you enjoyed your afternoon?" Storm asked.

"Yes, your home is beautiful Professor," Que replied addressing the two.

"It's not just my home Que. It belongs to everyone who lives here. In time, I hope you will think of it as yours too," The Professor smiled at the youth. Que's stern mask wavered slightly with a brief half smile in return.

"This afternoon, we will be testing your abilities. See what we are dealing with, so we can get an idea how to help you have control over them instead of the other way around," the Professor explained as he led Que and Storm to the elevator.

Que was surprised and intrigued when they got out in the lowest point in the mansion, the second sub basement.

"Where are we going Professor?" Que asked.

"We are headed to what many of our family here refer to as the Danger Room. It is a training chamber that helps students express most extents of their powers in a safe environment. We will start simple, so don't worry."

The Professor stopped at a large, metal, double door, and he pressed his hand against the panel. The doors slid open and all three went inside.

"Storm and I will be communicating and observing from the deck up top. In real training sessions you won't be alone, but for us to see where you are truly at, it could be dangerous for someone else to be with you. I do not want you holding anything back," the Professor explained, nodding toward the large paneled octagon in the center of the ceiling.

The sliding metal doors they had just entered through slid open again, and Hank walked in carrying a number of small sensor probes.

"Here, we can measure the output and gather data better of you wear these," Hank said attempting to place one of the probes on her wrist.

"I'm not wearing those," Que said firmly, pulling back her arm. All cordial respect, politeness, or comradery she and the scientist shared earlier had been wiped away and was replaced with a steely gaze that seared into Hank.

Hank was quite taken aback and stood there in silence. Charles didn't quite know what to make of her reaction, but he quickly intervened.

"That's quite all right. We can use the sensors built in the room. Hank, Ororo are you ready to head up?"

They all nodded and made there way out of the room, leaving Que alone.

Once up top, Hank's voice came over the speakers.

"Okay Que, we are only going to test a couple of things in here and then move outside for the rest."

Que nodded toward the top deck in determination. The three in the booth gave her reassuring smiles, and she got a thumbs up from Storm.

Que saw a panel on the wall shift and push out a large step. It was sheer metal and twice as tall as Que.

Hank spoke again giving instructions.

"Okay let's start with some wind. See in you can focus you wind into a blast that will propel yourself onto the platform."

Que readied herself. She had never thought about that before and wasn't quite sure what to do, but she pushed her powers down below her as hard as she could.

The results were a bit unexpected.

The wind blasted out from around her body and sent her flying in the opposite direction, slamming her against the wall. When she dropped to the ground the winds did not slow, but increased as pain prickled the back of her head.

"Are you alright? We can stop for a while if you need to," came the Professor's voice through the speaker. Que shook her head and motioned she just needed a moment. Up in the booth Hank was looking toward the control panel. He turned toward Charles and Ororo.

"Charles, the winds she just produced were akin with what someone might record from in a level one hurricane. Grant it, there is not much control over them. I think we may be better off starting with letting her express her powers and try to cut them at will. Right now, she is still struggling to just regain control of the winds."

"Okay we can try that," Charles replied before relaying the message over the speaker.

Que was wary. What if this bunker couldn't take it?

"It's okay, don't hold anything back. Just let all your powers flow. When we give the signal to stop, try and cut your powers as soon as you can," the Professor instructed.

"Okay, here it goes," Que thought.

At that she closed her eyes, she felt the energy surge through her body. The winds picked up, whirling around her. They got stronger and stronger as the room shook violently from tremors coming from the Earth. Then, like the other day on the beach, Que let forth the electric current that pulsed around her only this time it was streaking out from her body in all directions cracking dangerously through the air.

"Que, that's good. You can stop," Hank said as he saw her energy output continue to increase.

Que's brow furrowed in concentration as she struggled to stop the mini electrical storm flowing around her. She could get hold of any of it and quickly became frustrate.

"Why do they even need to do tests or collect data? This is stupid! I hate it!" Que thought as her winds took on a deadly gale force and sparks started crackling more violently in the air.

The Professor spoke this time "Que, do you need assistance? You don't need to…"

"I don't want to be your lab rat!" Que interrupted, shouting at the ball man. "This is stupid! I can't do this!"

Charles felt her anger growing as well as fear and panic. He closed his eyes and mentally spoke this time. She couldn't stop until it exploded like the last time. She needed help.

 _"It's okay we'll stop for the day. Calm your mind and let me help you."_

Her mental defenses were very strong for someone without any mental abilities.

 _"Que, you need to let me in if you want me to help you."_

"I can't!" She was crying at this point.

 _"You can trust me. It's okay."_ Charles said briefly opening his eyes. The lights were flickering in the room as sparks rippled through the control panels.

He closed them again and continued to press at her mental blockade. Her defenses slid ever so slightly, and he took his chance. Once in, Charles felt what she felt. The emotions and energy were like a tidal wave, and he almost lost his own grip. Energy was coursing through her in fast, agonizing surges, and her mind was clinging on to not be swept away. They both knew if that happened there would be a surge of energy, like back at the beach, which would rip a hole through the mansion and endanger everyone inside.

In the midsts of Que's whirling emotions of fear, anger, and pain Charles felt an incredible guilt. The weight of it was crushing as he pushed inward in her mind, trying desperately to reach her.

Suddenly, he was no longer sitting atop the Danger room with the electrical storm below, but he was standing in a cave of raging fire only a few feet from the Que. She was clutching her knees to her chest and her head was bent low as the flames flared all around.

 _"Que! Look at me!"_ He called out as he reached for her. _"Take my hand!"_

She glanced up at the blue eyed man and just stared, tears running down her face now. He saw a flash of a little girl in an alleyway crouch by a figure in the pour rain.

He called to her again _"Don't let it control you! You can trust me."_

His words rang with truth in Que's mind. She grabbed his hand.

In that brief moment, Charles reached for the brighter corners of her mind. A flash of a large, old house appeared. Then it was a sunny field of tall grass where there was same little girl and an older boy running and laughing. Charles realized the little girl was Que. Quickly as it had come, the memory was gone. Charles and Que had been able to grip and calm the energy surge.

The three senior staff hurried down to the chamber. When they arrived Que was on her feet. Her face showed no emotion. Only a few red splotches from when she had been crying remained.

"I am sorry." Que didn't meet their eyes as she spoke. "I should go."

Storm walked up and put a firm hand on her shoulder and before Que could shake it off she said "No, you are one of us, and we will help you."

Que was surprised at the fierceness in her voice and looked up in woman's brown eyes. They were filled with compassion and confidence that Que hadn't seen anyone give her in a long time.


	9. Chapter 9: End of Summer Blues

**Chapter 9: End of Summer Blues**

The next month of training went much smoother. Because it was summertime, regular classes hadn't started yet, but the students at Xavier's School for the Gifted continued regular training session. Que had several more individual sessions in the Danger Room and then moved on to working outside. They initially started with Charles assisting Que in her mind, and he would help her find the control she needed before they started.

Next, she moved on to stopping her powers herself, and he only had to intervene a few times. Still, it was nothing like the first time when she had been completely out of control in the Danger Room.

Que was now working on channeling her energy manipulation to actually make it useful. They also discovered she could manipulate the energy currents in water, which made for some exciting surf in the lake.

Out in the mid afternoon sun, Que was out by the lake practicing hitting a target with the lake water.

"Hey Que! How's it going?" Que heard from off to her left. Jean was strolling across the lawn toward her. Que smiled at the young redheaded woman. She had gotten to practice with Jean as well and often enjoyed her company. Even though she had different powers, Jean could relate to and do similar things as Que.

"Pretty well! Here, check this out!" the fourteen year old called as she shot a blast of water straight towards Jean. Naturally, Jean stopped it just before it hit her face. Instead, she hurtled it straight back at Que. Que didn't have enough control over the element to stop it and laughed when it hit. She, Jean, Storm, and some other students had played a game of water dodgeball a few times before, but Que could never seem to get the drop on Jean.

Wiping her face, Que showed Jean the progress she'd made on hitting the target using multiple elements.

Jean remembered the first time Que had attempted hitting the target with water. The trial resulted in lake water exploding everywhere and soaking everyone within a twenty feet radius. Que had stormed off, angry and cursing, but she kept control of her powers. Even though she wasn't able to get the water part right, there was barely a breeze, which was definitely a small victory. The Professor and Jean were the only ones who realized at the time and shared it with her later once she'd cooled off.

Jean could tell Que had finally grown more comfortable and even a little proud of her gifts.

"Que, the Professor wants to talk to you after lunch about classes for the upcoming year," Jean told her while Que continued to make small waves in the lake. Immediately, her water fell with a splash. She looked at Jean quizzically.

"Jean, I don't need that. Couldn't I train and help around or something? I haven't been to school in years. I know what I need to know. Why do I have to attend classes? Also, why didn't he just instant message me himself? Could have saved you a trip, especially since I give the whole thing a big fat no," she said giving a thumbs down in Jean's direction.

Que sat down and started picking at the grass.

"Well, you know the Professor's going to want to talk with you either way, and you can still come eat lunch with me. Come on get up." Jean said giving Que a telekinetic shove. Que had to catch herself so as to not fall head first in the water.

"Hey! No fair!" she laughed, splashing at Jean

Que got up and the pair continued chatting as they headed toward the mansion.

"You do need to learn more and grow in other ways. He understands your level of technical intellect and wouldn't put you in studies you don't need. Besides, school here is different from regular public school. Also, I asked to come out and tell you so I could see you practice. Plus, I figured your reaction would be pretty funny," She said elbowing the youth and laughing at the exaggerated accusatory expression on Que's face.

After a nice grilled cheese for lunch, and some prompting from Jean, Que headed to the Professor's office. It was just beyond the kitchen and pasted the main entrance.

"Come in," the Professor called as

Que held her hand just above the large oak paneled doors to knock.

"You know that's creepy Professor," Que said as she closed the door behind her.

Jean put her in a good mood, Charles thought as the youth founced into an armchair across from him.

"Sorry old habit. I'm sure Jean told you what I want to talk about today, and I already know your feeling towards it." He said as Que grimaced and squirmed in her seat.

"But what if… I mean I don't…really," she stammered before he cut her off.

"Now I'm going to tell you this upfront. Getting out of classes is not an option Que," Charles said firmly.

Que slouched in her chair dejected. She refused to meet his eyes, and Charles was slightly amused that she was pouting. She hadn't had set rules or even guidelines to follow aside from her own in a long time, and for the first two weeks she was at the mansion everything was business formal. He was glad she had loosened up and felt like she could actually be a broody teenager now.

"Look Que, I understand you are very bright in many areas, but there is still a lot you need to learn. If anything, I would like you learn how to cooperate better with your peers. So far, you've made friends with Jean, Hank, and Storm, but you still need to learn how to work with others your age. Most of the time you avoid the other students or start arguments with them."

Some papers rustled as a small breeze arose in the room. She was very uncomfortable because they both knew he was right. They also both remembered the third day after Que had arrived. She had gotten in a nasty quarrel over breakfast that rocked the mansion and left the kitchen in quite a mess.

The Professor continued on "Classes would be a good structured environment for you to get to know the other students better and practice cordial interactions with them over already given topics."

They sat in silence for a minute or so. Slowly Que gave in and met his gaze. He had that always gentle smile on his face, and his stupid, blue piercing eyes that seemed to know everything, were on full blast in her direction. It may have been in her head, but Que thought she saw just a hint of smugness to his expression this time.

"Fine." She finally replied. "What will I need to take?"

"Well, that is what I would like to discuss. When was the last time you were in school and what did you take?" Charles asked.

Que had already been contemplating this since Jean told her at lunch. It was so hard to remember what school was like.

"Mathematics wise I've got a fair grasp on most things through Calculus. I've also learned a good bit in Physics, Chemistry, and some Biology. I can read and write I guess. I don't know," she said.

"When was the last time you attended an actual school?" Charles asked.

"When I was five or six years old. Then, I had a great deal of private lessons. I have been self taught for the past four years," she fidgeted with the arm rests of her chair.

Charles found it interesting that she separated the past four years and wondered if that was how long she had been alone. Learning how to take care of yourself fully at nine or ten years old was no small task. He did not make a point to flesh out his students' histories, some were truly tragic, but he did begin to wonder just where Que had come from and where she'd been.

The pair continued chatting and decided she'd need more history and literature classes at this point. This wasn't a surprise, and as the Professor explained the classes, Que eased up. She agreed to start next week with everyone else, so she wouldn't be the odd new kid starting late. Next, they created and went over her schedule, the classes, expectations, and material outlines for each.

She would start off with a history class with Storm, a biology class with Hank, a literature class with himself, and some assigned time to work in the workshop with a small group of students under Scott. The last was more like an extracurricular class that she and the Professor came to a compromise on. It was either shop, art, or music. Que enjoyed music and art, but classes were completely out of the question. She de-stressed that way and did not like the idea of sharing that time with others.

Four classes were enough with time for some extra help if she needed it. The more she thought about it, she realized she had to be careful, or she might actually start to feel a bit excited about her "first day of school."


	10. Chapter 10: Trial by School

**Chapter 10: Trial by** **School**

 _A younger Que was balancing on one of many round, wooden post, scattered in a pit. The posts stood roughly twelve feet in the air and had a diameter no bigger than eight inches. Another figure could be seen on a post ten feet away, and both children had yolks bearing weights on each end. The pair hadn't spoken since they were first placed there over an hour before. The humidity and still silence of the pit were grueling enough, but the girl and boy knew to give in would lead to dire consequences. Que also knew if either fell before they were released, they would be doing the exercise again in a few days, not to mention with possibly some mending bones from the fall. She could tell Akeno was getting worn down. Though he was older by four years, Que was stronger and more balanced. She had been here longer than him and thus gained more endurance. Suddenly, a cacophony of noise came from somewhere not far off from the pit. It sounded like gunfire and was it people screaming? What was going on? At that moment, Akeno, distracted by the commotion lost his balance. Que watched in horror as he tumbled to the ground._

Que woke with a start. It was 4:30 in the morning. This was not a great way to start the first day of school.Though Que's first class didn't start until 8:00 AM, she knew going back to sleep was pointless, so she threw on some running gear and climbed out her window. Windows were not her usual exit, but she didn't feel like running into anybody in the hall. She doubted anyone was up, but who knows when it comes to first day jitters and sleep walkers. Que conjured up her little light sphere to guide her to the lake. A few laps around courtyard from there should be enough to take her mind off things.

After over an hour of jogging, she headed back to her room nice and sweaty. She might have gone a lap to many she thought as she scaled up the vine covered walls to her window. It was definitely not this hard going down. Once she had showered and dressed for the day, it was 6:45 AM. She headed down to grab some breakfast and was quite surprised to see Raven and the Professor already there enjoying some coffee, eggs, beans, and sausage.

Before she could sneak away unnoticed, she should have known better, she heard "Good morning Que, you're up early." It was Raven who greeted her first.

"Come join us Que. I dare say we got a little over zealous while cooking," the Professor laughed.

Que stood for a moment then awkwardly walked into the room and grabbed a plate. She forgot that these two were like brother and sister, and she felt uncomfortable and intrusive.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She was quite hungry, but she still found it strange at times to be eating with others. Definitely a big change since she'd left her table for one at the cottage.

As Que piled food on her plate by the counter, the two adults continued their conversation until she joined them at the table.

"So, first day of classes for you Que. Are you dreading it?" Raven asked teasing.

"Do you really want an answer?" Que quipped back.

"It will be fine," the Professor reassured her, hearing the tense undertone in her remark.

Que threw him a grateful half smile, and quickly changed the subject. She got Raven chattering about the upcoming combat training session she would be holding for different groups of students for the week.

Once Raven had finished her breakfast, she excused herself from the table and headed upstairs to get ready for her morning combat session.

Charles continued to read his newspaper, but he kept watch on Que from the side. He knew she had been up early. He was use to feeling the tail ends of sudden emotions that nightmares ensued, if they were strong enough. Que's nightmares, however, were quite frequent and always quite intense. He was concerned for the girl. The dark circles under her eyes were always present, but today they really showed how restless her sleep had been.

"Que," he said as he folder up his newspaper. "Why are you up so early? It's going to be a long day, and you really should have been sleeping a little longer. Is everything alright?"

"Nightmare. Couldn't sleep." She replied, surprising him with her honest answer.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he waited, seeing if she would elaborate.

She looked up slowly about to reply when Sam and Roberto burst in and obnoxiously rushed toward the refrigerator and left over food. Que quickly scarfed down the rest of her eggs and hurried out the kitchen.

He was so close Charles thought, but he couldn't expect much more from living in a house with several dozen teenagers. She might have been about to open up and share, but there was also a fair chance she was about to say no.

"Good morning boys," Charles said with a slight exasperated smile. He laughed as the two shoveled down the food as fast as they could make it. Even though the mood of the kitchen lightened, Charles' couldn't stop from thinking about what the steely eyed girl had been about to say.

Que's first history class went well. Storm went over what they would be studying that semester. Then, she split them into groups of three for their first research project they'd be working on this month. Each group was assigned a different ancient civilization in South America. Her next class was Biology with Hank. Que actually remembered almost all of the content he said the course would go over. She knew there was no convincing Prof. X, but she contemplated if she could convince Hank to let her spend the time in his lab working with some of his research instead. After Biology and just before lunch was her literature class. She had read a lot of advance nonfictional literature from a multitude of scientific journals, but this really threw her. The Professor gave a general overview stating the students would be exploring more fictional and inferential pieces. This would help them gain a better understanding of how literature could be a form of expression. They would begin by reading a book called _The Giver_ for the first few months. During this time, they would need to be able to analyze the events and characters, and draw inferencial parallels to today's society. Why was any of this important? Que was more than ready for lunch when class was dismissed. The classes were definitely starting to feel like a waste of time. She had completed online university courses for goodness sake! In her frustration, she decided to grab a sandwich and head outdoors.

Shop class wasn't bad, and she was able to have her own workstation. There were lots of different tools for students to use. They would be building things Que knew she could have done by herself, but it was nice to have a specific time in the day that was a bit more relaxing and less structured. She had actually forgotten what it was like to create non-electronic things. Plus, it was only their first day and Scott was showing them how to use all the different machines. She didn't know how the other classes would go, but maybe shop wouldn't be so bad.

By Friday, Que was over it and ready for the weekend. She hadn't realized how hard this was going to be. By Wednesday, she had gotten into at least one argument in every class and lost her temper in one and stormed out. She figured out her best strategy was to not speak unless absolutely necessary, but people could be so ignorant sometimes. Her literature class was the only class that troubled her academically. There was so much reading into what characters didn't say or do that was frustrating.

After breakfast, history and biology went by without a hitch. Then, it was time for lit. with the Professor. It definitely didn't help that she had not slept well again. It made her incredibly irritable, and it was truly a miracle she hadn't made a mess in her other two classes. She did however have a slight breeze that was tailing her. She could not shake it and just let it be. If she worried about it too much, it would just get worse. She contemplated skipping the class, but then she'd not only get into trouble but draw more attention to herself than she wanted.

Que dragged all the way to class, was one of the last to scurry in, and sat as far away from Professor Xavier as possible. There was no keeping a secret from this guy, especially when it involved unchecked powers, but she could always try the next best thing. Avoid him like the plague.

As the class settled down, the Professor spoke up.

"Good morning everyone! I hope you are ready to talk about chapters one through three of _The Giver_. Today, all of you will be assigned a partner for the rest of your book discussions.You will act as a sounding board for each other's thoughts on the book before bringing them to the class as a whole."

The Professor started pairing them up, and Que anxiously waited to see what poor soul she would be placed with.

"Aasir, why don't you be with Que," the Professor said.

Que looked up. "Who?" She wondered. A tall, lanky, dark skinned boy, maybe a year older than Que, stood up and made his way over to her. He sat down in the vacant seat to her left.

"Hi, I guess we are going to be literature partners for a while," he said, staring at her with expectant deep brown eyes.

"Sure," she replied turning away. She couldn't tell if his lack of expression was just his thing or if he wasn't thrilled to be her partner.

Once the Professor finished, he instructed the students to get to know their partner and discuss what they had read so far. Aasir led most of what little discussion they had, and they spent the majority of their time rereading the chapters. Que had admitted to him early on that she only skimmed the chapters in the first place.

She did have to admit that he really seemed to know what he was talking about on a deeper level, but this made her just a tad resentful. She knew it wasn't his fault that he was good at this stuff, and she was all but atrocious. Probably would have helped if she had put a bit more effort into reading the book.She was a little too use to being the smartest person in the room. Not to mention the one with the most inflated head.

Aasir was patient for the most part with her even though she was a complete dud of a partner.

At the end of class, Que rushed out for her lunch break by the lake.

Three weeks of school had passed and Que was cruising through her history, bio, and shop class. She had more sleepless nights this week than before, and she was ready to hit the trees for lunch. Literature with the Prof. seemed to really drag some days. She was also contemplating skipping shop to get a head start on some recharge time. However, her plans this Friday would have to wait. As Que left class, what she didn't realize, or possibly just ignored, was Aasir calling after her.

She had already started up her favorite elm by the lake when she was startled by a voice calling to her.

"Que wait! Didn't you hear me? I need to talk to you about our class," Aasir called. She fell from the branch she was on, landing hard on the ground.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might have ignored you for a reason? Class is over. Can't it wait until next time?" she snarled testily. She didn't realized he had followed her all the way out here. This was her personal hiding spot and now he blew it.

"You don't have to be so rude. What's your deal?" Aasir said in an exasperated tone.

"Currently you're at the top of the list man. Leave me alone. I want to eat my lunch in peace," Que knew very well how rude she was being, but she hoped it would make him leave faster. If she had just been polite and answered his silly questions, she probably could have saved them the trouble to follow.

"Wow, I thought you just needed time to settle in, but people are right. You are a total ass," Aasir said. "No wonder you get into so much trouble.You don't get along with anyone do you? I bet that is why the Prof won't let you train with anyone."

Some other students had broken out for lunch and started drawing closer when they heard the two teens arguing. For some reason his comments struck a nerve, and she began to feel embarrassed with all the people watching. "That's not true! Take it back!" she replied hotly followed by several expletives. More students gathered to watch the heated exchange.

"Why should I? Truth hurts, doesn't it! That might even be why you're here. You think you're so much better than everyone else! What? Your parents dumped you off because they couldn't stand you?" he yelled back, angry now as well.

Before Que could stop and think, she lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. They rolled through the grass punching and kicking amidst a circle of jeering students. Naturally a gale force wind had picked up, but no one cared. They were too enthralled by the fight taking place.There were many chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Que got several good jabs at his face, when Scott, Storm, and Hank ran into the circle of teens. Aasir was more than willing to get away, but Que was screaming at him while the to teachers attempted to pry her away. She clawed at his clothes and fought against the strong hands pulling her away. The wind was whipping about, the ground shook, and water sloshed out of the lake in waves, but Que was so angry at the boy she couldn't stop it.

" _That's enough!_ " A voice echoed inside her head. " _You both will report to my study immediately_!"

Oh crap Que thought. She let go of Aasir's shirt and stopped struggling against Scott and Hank. The two teachers restrained her arms and Storm helped guide the bloody faced boy to his feet. Both students were drenched from the excess lake water.

The adults led the soggy teens back to the mansion. No students were left on the grounds outside. When had all the students watching left Que wondered? Had the Professor yelled at them too?

When they finally reached the mansion, Que glanced over at Aasir. He had a rag covering part of his face trying to stop the blood running out his nose, but underneath he looked utterly mortified.

As they neared the Professor's open study doors, Que could see him, and she knew they were in deep trouble.


	11. Chapter 11: Making Amends

**Chapter 11: Making Amends**

"Aasir, I'd like to speak with you first. Que, if you will please have a seat in the hall with Hank, I will speak with you soon," the Professor said sternly.

Storm headed in with Aasir, closing the door behind them.

"Do you need anything Hank?" Scott asked.

"No we're fine. I will see you later," Hank replied as he and Que sat down on the couch across from the Professor's study. Scott headed off toward the garage and left the two sitting in silence.

Que sat fidgeting anxiously, and she realized that there was something warm trickling down the back of her head. It must of been from when she'd hit it on a rock while tussling on the ground with Aasir.

There was still a fair amount of breeze in the hall, but thankfully the tremors had stopped.

"Stay here," Hank instructed as he got up and disappeared into a room down the hall. When he came back, he was draped in a towel and held four fresh ones and a first aid kit. She was still sopping wet from the lake and realized Hank was a bit damp from the encounter as well. He gave her a towel and set the rest on the couch next to him.

"Let me check the cut on the back of your head. It was bleeding something awful when we were walking in," Hank said in a flatly. He took out some antiseptics and starting cleaning the cut. It wasn't deep, so she didn't need any stitches but it was starting to throb. Still, it wasn't enough to keep her mind off the issues at hand.

As the minutes ticketed by, Que started feeling guilty. She couldn't stop thinking about the terrified look on Aasir's bloody face. She had been the one who started the fight in the first place. She was the one who screwed up, not him. He probably had never even gotten into trouble like this. It was her fault.

As this thought settled in her mind, the hall breeze grew eerily still and the air grew slightly chilly. All of her energy was zapped, and she was horrified at what she had done. She felt sick, like she could puke her guts out, and it still wouldn't be enough.

Just then, the door opened.

"Storm if you will help Aasir get cleaned up please," the Professor called as Aasir and Storm came out. Hank handed them the towels and they thanked him. Before Aasir could leave, Que grabbed his arm so he had to look at her. She looked straight into his deep brown eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. Aasir noticed that her face was clammy and her hand felt like ice, but he said nothing as he turned and walked off with Storm.

"Hank you may go if you wish. Que, please join me in my study," Professor Xavier said.

Charles and Que sat across from each other in silence for several moments. Charles noticed a distinct difference in the atmosphere when Que had walked in. Not only did the temperature of the air around them literally drop, but somehow he felt no emotion coming from her. He knew it was there. It was written all over her face, the shame, guilt, worry.

"Aasir didn't do anything. It was my fault," Que suddenly said in a rush, breaking the silence. "So… when do I need to have my things packed?" She said looking away. Charles realized instantly that Que thought she was being expelled.

"Que, there are consequences for your actions, but I am not expelling you," he said gently. Que looked up confused. He continued "As for entirely your fault, I wouldn't go quite that far, but why don't you tell me what happened. Aasir has already given me his account, and I'd like to hear your side."

"I attacked him. I confess. I'm guilty. What more is there to tell?" she asked confused.

"Start from when you left my class. I know he tried to call after you, but you left," he said patiently.

"I don't know. I went to go eat lunch," she hesitated trying to find the right words.

Charles knew from the limited time he had spent with her that as smart she was, when it came to self expression and communication, she had some deficits, especially when under stress.

"You could try to show me if you'd like," Charles offered, though he knew that might not be possible depending on if she could ease up her mental defenses. "Just focus on the memory and relax the best you can."

She looked at him skeptically.

"Okay, I think I can do that. It's not going to be like the first time in the Danger Room is it?" she asked.

Charles could tell what she was getting at. She wanted to make sure he only had limited access.

"Que, I will only see what you want me to see. I promise I am not going to go snooping through your your thoughts. I made that promise from day one," Charles assured her seriously.

She nodded her consent and Charles position his chair in front of her, looking directly into her blueish- grey eyes. "Just close your eyes and think of the memory," he said as he gently placed a hand on the side of her forehead.

With that, she showed him the memory in very precise detail. He felt what she felt in the moment. Her anxiety and anger all rushed forth in the extreme. For someone who put on such a steely exterior, the emotions that ran beneath were abnormally intense.

When the memory ceased, the pair opened up their eyes. Aasir had chosen to show him as well, but the emotions were a bit different in his perspective.

"Now that I have seen both sides, I have a question for you. Aasir is really trying to be your friend, and he was very offended by your attitude. That doesn't excuse him for what he said, but why are you pushing him away? The other students here understand more than you think Que. You just need to give them a chance. You can't go on forever blocking people out." Que shrugged and refused to meet his gaze.

"Well, there isn't much more for me to say. Your actions today do have consequences. You and Aasir will wash and polish the X-Jet together once a week for the next two months. If you have a problem, I urge you to please come to us. That is why we are here.To help you.There will be no more fighting as well. Are we clear?" he said in a serious tone. "I understand," Que said. There was a pause as Charles waited to see if she would say anymore. Ques stayed silent, so he resigned himself and continued in a gentler tone.

"Also, I would like for you to meet with Storm and I twice a week to check in with you. Storm will be more for combat training and checking how your abilities are developing. I will be checking in with you on the more complicated things, such as your school work and general well being. This second part is a bit more optional, but I really think it will help with some of the stress you've been under lately. I thought giving you some space for would be best, but I was wrong. I should have been checking in with you more from the start. Adjusting to living with others and going to school again has been tough, I'm sure. Que, I also know there have been things going on that you haven't told me. You have been a bit breezy in class and have avoided me because of it."

Charles paused as she looked up inquizatively toward him.

"I have worked with teenagers for a long time Que," he said in a lighter tone with a smile. Que gave him a sheepish half smile back and replied "I can do that. When would we meet?"


	12. Chapter 12: A Fresh Start

**Chapter 12: A Fresh** **Start**

It was the first day back after Que's incident on Friday. She didn't usually enjoy Mondays, but she aimed for today to be different. She had set up her weekly check ins for after lunch Tuesday with Storm and tea Friday evening with the Professor. On Friday, he gave her two objectives. One, she need to start participating a little more with her groups in her various classes, and two, eat lunch with a peer at least one day this week.

She walked into history class prepped with her notes on the Ming dynasty. They were working on projects that represented the culture and society of their era, and were supposed to pick partners today. Que decided she would try and ask the girl with long reddish blonde hair that sat adjacent to her. What was her name though? She didn't want to wait and be the last picked like before.

When it was time, Que turned to the girl.

"Hallelujah!" Que thought. The girl's name was Tracy and was conveniently plastered numerous times on every inch of her binder. How had she missed that before? This chick sat by her everyday since… well Que actually had no idea when she started sitting there. It didn't matter. Que knew her name and now she just had to say something to her! Que felt extremely anxious though. What was she supposed to say? Hi? Hello? Want to be partners? How about that sunshine today?

"Want to be partners?" Que spluttered out.

Tracy turned to Que, surprised and quite hesitant.

"Uh… sure," Tracy replied. She looked a bit bewildered, but she agreed to be Que's partner and that's all that mattered.

Que had Googled what to do when you first meet someone. She just wanted to make sure she did it right, even though she wasn't really just meeting her. She found that it was best to get to know them by asking questions. Thus, Que launched into twenty questions with Tracy.

She found out that the blue eyed girl was originally from Ireland. Tracy and her mother had immigrated to upstate New York with her mother's brother after her father passed away. She was quite a character and seemed to enjoy talking about herself. Que kept it simple and continuously asked her various questions about her likes and dislikes. Que didn't have to do a whole lot of talking herself. They actually had a few things in common, like their distaste for asparagus and plaid.

Biology was a bit more difficult. She hadn't talked Hank into letting her cut class for lab time. She already had a lab partner for three weeks. Her partner was a burly boy probably about 17. He was actually quite terrible at biology, and Que had already attempted to push him off prior. In the whole class period she managed to say good morning and lend him her plant guide. He had no interest in interacting with Que whatsoever, and she had the feeling the first three weeks of her cold shoulder was responsible.

Finally, it was time for literature and this was the class she had been dreading. She hadn't seen Aasir all weekend and didn't know what to expect. She wrung her hands as she walked to class and some sparks actually erupted a couple of times. She'd definitely need to get a handle on that prior to walking in.

When Que walked into class, she noticed that Aasir wasn't sitting in their usual spot. She spotted him a moment later across the classroom. She was actually a little early today, so there were plenty of vacant seats around him to pick from. As she slid in the spot nearest him, she saw him stiffen. The Professor wasn't there yet, so that gave her a great opportunity to chat.

"Hey, Aasir. I… um…" she trailed off. She had no idea what to say. She had beat the shit out him. How does one come back from that?

He cut in "Look Que, let's just try to make it through this book, and then I don't want to work with you again. Okay?"

She was taken aback some by his sharp tone, but she should not have expected any less. Most of the marks left by the fight were fading or gone. He still had a small cut above his left eyebrow and some bruising around his nose.

"Aasir, I am really sorry. Let me make it up to you, please. I shouldn't have been so rude, and I definitely shouldn't have picked a fight," she said hurriedly.

"You're right you shouldn't have," he replied.

Before Que could say anymore the Professor came in. He immediately saw the tension between them and raised an eyebrow at her. She gave a slight shrug, and he let it go.

As they were released to work with their partners, Que whispered "I'm going to really try and make this right. I am."

He pursed his lips and gave her a wary look, but then continued to read. She did keep her word though. When it came time for the pair to actually discuss the chapters, Que really tried to think about the book and answer questions.

Though Aasir didn't show it, he was impressed. He knew about how she whizzed through most of her other classes, and she genuinely seemed to struggle in here. Her answers were labored and lacked depth, but there was definitely more there than the past three weeks.

By the end of class, Que was exhausted. Who knew trying to be with people was so tiresome? She thought she would be able to knock out lunch with a buddy on the first day, but she needed this time to recoup. She decided that it would have to be a lunch in the tree day after all.

A month later, Que had managed to almost make friends with Tracy, and Luis, her bio partner, was quite amiable now. He really wasn't as dull as she first thought. Turns out, all he needed were some strategies and someone to study with. He passed the test they'd taken that morning with a high B. She still hadn't eaten lunch with anyone, but that may just have to be something she'd work on again next week or maybe the week after. She couldn't win it all.

It was almost time for literature. The one class and classmate she had yet to make much headway in. Aasir was still quite passive towards her, even with her best efforts in cleaning the X-Jet and trying to understand and contribute to their discussions on _The Giver_. Stupid book, she thought.

"So, Jonas was assigned to be the Receiver of Memory because he can see beyond. What do you think that means?" Aasir asked her.

"Well, maybe he will be like a history scribe or something," Que said.

"I don't know. The old man said it would hurt. Plus, there is only one in the entire community, and he lives completely separate. It's like his job is more of a secret. I don't think writing down the town's history would be painful, and there may be some secrets, but all of it would be a bit much. I wonder how he will receive it?" Aasir pondered.

"There was also something about how tens years prior the apprentice Receiver failed and that was painful for the people," Que offered.

"That is true too. There is something really off about this community though. I know they have the 'feeling sharing time,' but it seems more geared toward ridding themselves of feelings instead of working through them. They seem... void of emotion," Aasir said.

"Really? Hmm, maybe they could give us some tips," Que laughed.

Aasir gave her his 'Really?' look that she had become accustomed to.

"We could always look ahead," she suggested.

He rolled his eyes, but continued "You know emotions help us to relate to one another on a deeper level. When we lack them… I am not sure how to describe it. Psychopath is going a bit far, but we can't empathize with each other or have an in depth relationship," Aasir said contemplatively.

"Emotions make us vulnerable," Que quipped.

"Vulnerability allows us to connect," Aasir said seriously before gazing off.

Que could tell his thoughts were going further in his head. She interrupted his reviery. "You have a wonderful way of making everything I say sound really ignorant."

He looked up and gave her a small smile, the first one she think she'd ever seen on his face. "No, you do that well enough by yourself."

He laughed and continued "You are not doing as terribly as you think, but most of the time you take everything for face value."

"Alright everyone, seeing that it is a beautiful Friday, I am going to let you all out a little early. You're discussions on _The Giver_ have become much more in depth. Nice job. Top marks for today. Class dismissed," the Professor spoke in.

"Wow, that's great! I'm starved," Que said to Aasir as she packed her things.

Aasir turned to her "Me too. You did a good job today Que. Hey, look I apologize for the things I said to you that day. Rude or not, I should have never of said them. Also, I forgive you. So, are we cool?"

Que's stomach was in knots. This was totally unexpected. "I um… yes! Thanks man!" she stammered.

"You want to get some lunch? I know you usually eat with the squirrels, but if you'd like some company today…" he trailed off rubbing his neck as they walked to the door.

"Yeah, sure. I mean squirrels are great lunch buddies, but they are not wonderful conversationalists," Que replied.

"Who you or the squirrels?" Aasir joked. They laughed and continued chatting as they walked out.

Their exchange did not go unnoticed by the Professor, who was still sitting across the classroom, a slight smile playing at his lips.


	13. Chapter13:From Ice Castles to Nightmares

**Chapter 13: From Ice Castles** to **Nightmares**

Later that evening, Que was quite excited to share her news about Aasir with the Professor. As she strode into his study, the papers from his desk were sent rustling and fluttering about in her giddy breeze. Charles always prepped his desk with paperweights prior to Que coming of course. They usually got onto a topic that would make Que uncomfortable at some point.

"So, how has this week been Que?" the Professor asked sipping his tea.

"It's been pretty good I'd say," she replied with a small glint in her eye. "I have now accomplished playing nice in class, and I had lunch with someone, just today actually!"

"Ah yes. I did happen to see you and Aasir walk out together. I assume things are better between you two?" he asked smiling at her.

"Yeah, he told me he forgives me and would like to see if maybe we could be friends. He is actually a pretty cool guy. I don't know if I'd ever want to be friends with someone who beat the crap out of me."

"Either way, do you think getting to know them has been beneficial?" he prompted.

"I think so. I mean, Tracy is kind of annoying, but I'm glad I could help Luis. I think I am happier now being here," she replied.

"Well, that's always a nice thing to hear Que. Storm also told me your first week of combat sessions with the others went well. I think congratulations are in order," Charles was excited and proud on the ecentric, grey eyed girl across from him. She had come a long way in a month.

"On another note, how have you been sleeping? Are you still having the nightmares? I have ensured the tea we talked about has been in full stock," he continued. Charles hadn't pressed this point much since they started having these chats, but he hoped that that area had improved too.

"They're fine. It's not a big deal. The tea has definitely helped," Que said slightly evading the question.

It was obviously something she wasn't comfortable talking about yet, and he knew she wasn't being completely truthful.

Charles sighed "Okay, you know if you ever need anything you can come find me. It doesn't need to be over Friday evening tea. It's why I'm here Que. If you are sure, I think it is about time for bed. I am excited to hear about all of the progress you've made this week."

It was December and nearing the end of Que's first semester at the institute. She and Aasir were now thick as thieves and could hardly be separated. It had been a long time since she had a best friend or any friend really. She had also made friends with Luis from biology and Amara, Aasir's friend. Tracy from history had caught on that Que wasn't really interested and started hanging out with some other girls in class. This was fine with Que. Tracy was a tad too peppy for her.

The classes were wrapping up and a lot of the students were packing to head home for the break. There were only a couple students who would be spending the holidays at the X-Mansion. Much to Que's dismay, Aasir would be one of the ones heading home, while she stayed. He had promised that he would come back early, and they would hang out for New Years.

Que and Aasir were out in front of the mansion, and had built a giant snow castle. Since Que had learned to manipulate the water, she had also learned to manipulate the energy within it to make it freeze. Their snow castle was quite impressive, standing a good 15 feet high and included a tower. Que stood in the tower working on some patches that were coming loose by the window while Aasir was working on the front. Suddenly, a snowball flew straight into Que, and she stumbled into part of the tower. The back half collapsed on her head. She shoved off the excess snow and looked down at Aasir. He was rolling with laughter.

"You are such an ass!" she yelled at him pelting him with snowballs.

"Language fair maiden," he said still trying to pull himself back together.

"I believe that was one of your choice words for me once," she countered. "Yes, and I apologized!" he hollered back to her.

As he stared up at Que in the tower window still patched with snow, a mischievous look appeared on his face.

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief,

That thou her maid art far more fair than she:

Be not her maid, since she is envious;

Her vestal livery is but sick and green

And none but fools do wear it; cast it off," Aasir called to her.

"What?" she said but he continued. Aasir often broke into poetic verse or was quoting something. She ignored him and continued patching the tower. He'd ware himself out soon enough.

"It is my lady, O, it is my love!

O, that she knew she were!

She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?

Her eye discourses; I will answer it.

I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,

As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.

See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!

O, that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek!"

"Have you lost you flipping mind? Are you mad?" Que called throwing another snowball at him, but it missed. She was still clueless to what he was saying, but she caught a few words. It was a romantic encounter of some kind from one of his books, which now that she thought about it was quite embarrassing.

"She speaks:

O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art

As glorious to this night, being o'er my head

As is a winged messenger of heaven

Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes

Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him

When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds

And sails upon the bosom of the air," he responded ending with a laugh.

"I knew you were a nerd, but this is a bit ridiculous. What are you quoting, and how much have you memorized?" she called down to him from the what was left of the tower window.

He laughed again and before he could answer the Professor spoke to them.

 _"You both have built a wonderful castle, but Aasir your family is here."_

"Aww man! I wasn't done Prof! You're killing my style!" he said aloud. "Que, want to meet them? I have told them about you. I know they'd love to meet you."

"Doesn't sound like you left me a choice. Sure, I'd like to see who got the looks in the family, since it obviously wasn't you," she teased still smiling.

They wiped the snow from their shoes and clothes as they entered the mansion. Jean was waiting for them in the hall with a man and two women. Aasir walked up and hugged each of them.

"I've missed you all very much. I want to introduce you to my friend," he said addressing Que who had hung back by the stairs unsure of what to do. "Que, come on over. They won't bite you, at least not today." He laughed as Que hedged closer. "This is my mother, Aylen, my Father, Alexander, and my older sister Rayen.

Aasir's father was tall with very dark skin, no hair, and strong build. His mother was quite short, had copper skin, and liquid brown eyes. His sister favored more of their father's traits except her hair was long with large waves like her mother. Aasir was built like his father, tall and strong, but he had his mothers facial features, like her eyes.

"It's nice to meet you all," Que said politely, extending her hand to each of them.

"We are pleased to meet you as well. I'm glad to see my son is still in one piece after making friends with you," Aasir's father said jocularly.

They all had a few more friendly exchanges before Aasir and his family headed for the door. Que was going to miss her friend, and she hadn't realized just how much. She proceeded up stairs, where she watched them leave through the tall, frost covered windows.

The Professor, Hank, Storm, Doug, Roberto, and Que were the only ones left in the mansion for dinner that evening, and dinner during the holidays was always eaten with everyone present.

Doug usually went home he had told them, but his family was away visiting his older sister in China. Roberto was used to being around for the holidays and seemed to really enjoy his best friend being there alongside him. Raven was usually present too only, she apparently would be in and out a lot this year visiting some old friends.

Que wasn't much in the mood for eating or hanging out. She missed her friend, so she excused herself a tad early and headed up to her room. She felt more alone now than she had in months. It was only 7:00 PM when she finished washing up for bed, and her entire hall was deserted because no other girls had stayed. She almost missed the cool showers she had when they ran out of hot water. Almost.

 _Que was alone in a dark room, her wrists chained to the floor on which she lay. It was pitch black and not a sound could be heard through the walls of the cell. She was thirsty, but dared not call out._ _Everything went dark._ _The scene shifted. She was still in the same room, only now light was flooding in from the doorway outlining a large figure holding something long and slender looped around his hand._ _"We need that code Que. Are you ready to give up?" the figure asked._ _Que did not reply or attempt to move from her spot on the floor._ _"No? Pity," the figure came closer._ _Que heard a loud crack, and like lightning, there was a fiery sensation tearing down her naked flesh. Then it happened, again and again all over the back side of her crouched body. Que was screaming in agony, but it didn't stop. It wouldn't stop. The man was laughing cold and manically as Que continued to scream and writhe on the floor._

It was very late, and Charles was awake reading in his bedroom when he felt it.

A tremor violently shook the mansion. It had lasted only a few seconds, but it was long enough to dislodge a few books from his personal library. He only had to tap into his powers briefly to confirm the cause.

 _"Ororo, please meet me upstairs in the girls dormitory! Immediately! "_ He called.

Storm appeared up stairs quickly to find the Professor just heading out of his room.

"Professor, is everything all right? I felt the mansion shake," she asked worriedly. Another tremor, more violent than the last, briefly rattled the old mansion, and Storm had to lean against the wall to steady herself.

As they headed briskly down the girls hall, they could hear a loud, rattling sound. They stopped at Que's room and found the culprit. The door was shaking in its frame.

"Prepare yourself. I am not sure what is going on, but I think Que has had another nightmare. Though it seems much more extreme and intense this time," Charles cautioned her.

Storm gripped the handle and slowly opened the door. Behind the door revealed Que's room to be in a complete state of disarray. Heavy winds continued to batter the already destroyed room, there were also several scorch marks on the walls and ceiling. The smell of smoke tinged the air, but thankfully there was no fire to be seen. The curtain had been ripped from their hinges from the violent winds and had joined other various item scattered across the floor.

"Que?" Charles called hesitantly before entering. The bed was empty, and the sheets were strewn about in the floor. The adults cautiously entered further with Storm fending off the wind. He then heard sniffling from the corner of the room behind them. Que was there, sitting in a ball rocking back and forth in tears, gasping for breath.

"Que! Are you alright? What," Storm said before being cut off.

"Get out!" Que screamed at the pair. "Get out! Leave! I don't want you... I don't want you here!"

She continued to mumble amidst her tears and gasping.

As Charles watched her hyperventilation progress, he realized she was in the middle of a panic attack. This was worse than he had ever seen her from one of her nightmares.

 _"Que, please listen. You know we want to help you,"_ Charles said edging closer.

"No!" she screamed sending a gust of wind toward them. Storm was just able to hold it off, but only just.

"Just go away!" she cried.

 _"Que, please. It Charles and Ororo. You teachers. Your friends. We are here, and we are not going anywhere. Focus on my voice,"_ he pleaded with her.

"No, no, no. He was here," she mumbled, rocking methodically.

 _"Que, focus on my voice,"_ he repeated.

Que slowly looked up still shaking and breathing hard, but she didn't quite meet his eyes.

 _"That's it. You're okay. Just relax,"_ he continued. Storm went closer and knelt beside the shaking girl. She slowly wrapped Que in her arms. Que was drenched in a cold sweat.

"No, no, no, the darkness. It hurts," Que mumbled again. She continued to tremble, and Storm felt Que's tears on her shoulder.

"It's alright. It was just a dream," she cooed to her.

"No. You shouldn't be here. He was here," Que whispered fearfully, but she did not pull away from Storm's embrace. Her ragged breathing started to slow.

After twenty minutes more on the floor, they were able the help coax the distressed girl back into bed.

Que, still quite shaken, horsley whispered "I'm sorry," as the Professor wheeled over to her bed.

"Shh. We can talk about it in the morning. You need to get some sleep," he whispered back.

She gave him a wild eyed stare.

"Don't worry. I'll help for a little while."

Charles move himself so that he was sitting on the edge of Que's bed and place his fingers gently on the side of her face.

He searched for the sparks of happy thoughts in her mind. He couldn't quite see her memories, but they did give off particular auras depending on the feelings behind them. Every now and again he would get brief glimpses though. He was glad to see some recent memories in the mix. He glimpsed himself, Storm, Jean, and others at the mansion often. Aasir was in the majority of them, which wasn't surprising since he had caught the boy quoting Romeo and Juliet to Que earlier that afternoon.

After an hour or so, Que's breathing slowed to an even, steady pace, and she had fallen into a dreamless sleep.

Charles and Ororo left, exhausted. He still wondered what her dream had been about to cause her so much distress and fear, but he would wait well into the morning before pressing her.


	14. Chapter 14: Past Shadows

**Chapter 14: Past** **Shadows**

It was midday before Que woke. She was disoriented at first by the sunlight streaming in through her window. Then, the previous night came flooding back to her. She couldn't remember the finer details of all that had happened, but she knew she had completely lost it. She held her head in her hands. That was so embarrassing. "What was she going to say?" she thought.

She pulled on some jeans, a shirt, and grabbed her purple hoodie from a pile of her strewn belongings in the floor. She surveyed her room, which was still a complete mess. She'd have to do something about that, but maybe after some food. Hopefully, everyone would be out and about in the snow and sunshine, so she wouldn't have to answer to anyone yet.

Of course that was not to be. As soon as she made landing on the ground floor she heard, _"Good morning Que. Would you mind joining me in my study? I had some lunch brought in for you."_

"Was there keeping anything from this man?" she thought as she turned toward his study. It had been quite a while since she had been in there for trouble or for tea. By November, the Professor had let her choose if and when she wanted to chat with him, and she had only gone a couple times since.

"Come in Que," the Professor called to her. She walked in and plopped down on her favorite chair. She had dubbed it her chair months earlier and the Professor knew it. He had some soup on the adjacent end table waiting for her. She sat cross legged in the chair and grabbed her soup.

"This looks awesome. Thanks," Que said, hungrily picking up her lunch.

Charles waited patiently for her, but her lack of small talk made it obvious that he would have to bring up last night.

"Que," he sighed. "You are very aware of why we are here, and you can't put it off forever. Can you please share with me what upset you so much last night?"

"I had a nightmare," she said, shrugging nonchalantly.

He gave her a stern meaningful look.

"Que, the sheer scale of the post event tells me it wasn't just any nightmare. You were having a panic attack and could have torn apart the entire east wing of the mansion. Something was different, and I think you'd feel a lot better if you shared. You don't need to carry all your burdens alone. Let me help you."

Que pursed her lips and sat her soup back down on the side table. "I can't. You wouldn't understand. You're right, it wasn't just a nightmare Professor. It was reality at one point, and it was bad. I mean really bad."

She was actually being more open than Charles had expected at first. He waited for her to continue.

"I can tell you some, but please don't think any less of me," she said solemly, worry etched on her face.

"Que, you are a part of our family here now. We all love you very much. I will not think any less of you," he assured her.

Que steeled herself and continued "Eight years ago, I was taken by a faction of an organization called The World. They were located on an old Japanese WWII base on an island out in the Pacific. Their objective was to create superhuman weapons. They brought in children from all over the world who had a capacity for high intelligence and different mutant abilities," she explained.

"There were ten of us in the facility. I was the youngest and had just turned six when they took me. They brainwashed the kids as they came in, playing on fresh emotions. I had just lost my best friend. If you take an already angry at the world kid and give them the means to destroy it, it's not hard to get them to do what you want. Plus, our abilities were kept in check with power inhibiting implants. I was there for almost six years. You have to understand. We did … I did unspeakable things," she whispered the last part.

Que pause her eyes glazing over as she drifted into her memories, rocking slightly in her chair.

"Que," the Professor said, pulling her back to reality. "You dreamt about this place last night?"

Que nodded. "They'd have us train for hours on end, hone our intellects, and try experiments on us. I have enhanced healing, reflexes, and senses as a result. "

"What was your dream about last night?" he asked.

Que turned expressionless at the question, and they sat in silence for several moments. "I can't say it, and you don't want to see it. They not only stripped away my childhood, but my humanity. I don't think I can… I can't." Que sighed and anxiously ran her hand through her hair.

"Que, if I can help you through it, then we can bare it together, but it is your decision if you want to share it with me," he responded resolutely.

Que pondered his offer for a few more silent moments. "You cannot tell anyone any of this. Not Storm, not Aasir, not anyone."

"You have my word Que. I will not share anything," Charles responded.

Que pursed her lips, but then nodded her consent.

Charles wheeled closer. "If it becomes too much at any moment, tell me, and we will stop."

He sat across from her and put his fingers on their temples connecting them. As they closed their eyes, it took Que a moment to unlock her mind and memories enough to let Charles in.

The memory came in suddenly at full force. As Que showed him the dream, he felt the pain, anger, and then anguish pass through her body with the memory. She had been right. He never imagined this was what she was holding in. When the memory ended, Charles opened his eyes.

Que was avoiding his gaze, but he could see her eyes were damp and expression guarded.

This was only a glimpse of six years Que had spent in this hell hole. What other atrocities did she experience while imprisoned there? Charles wondered.

They sat in silence together for a long while.

"I bought into what they were selling at first, and even became bent upon becoming the best there was for a while, but when I wanted out… I had stolen the data off their hard drives, implanted decoy access areas, set up memory wipe traps, and reprogrammed some of their computer systems so we could escape. They caught me, or at least they thought they had, though they had no idea what I had really done. I didn't think they'd find my decoys so quickly though or retaliate in the ways they did. After that they… well lets just say they amped up the experimentation and delayed our escape. We were there three more months before my message was fully sent, and we finally got out," Que quietly explained. "Last night my dream was extremely vivid, like I was really there, living it all over again. Then, when I woke up... I thought I saw a man standing at the edge of my bed, but it must have been my imagination. I guess that was what sent me off the deep end. I don't remember much after that, aside from you and Storm suddenly being there," she said quietly.

"Que…" the Professor paused. He wasn't sure what to say at first. This young fourteen year old that he had come to care a great deal about had been violated, in more ways than what she'd just shown him, for several years.

"I want you to know that you are safe here. We will continue to do everything in our power to make it so. What can we do to help you?" he assured her.

"I feel safer here than I have in a long time, but, if I'm being perfectly honest with you, I don't know if I'll ever be fully at ease anywhere. This may be as close as I get," Que paused and then gave a small smile. "But I could totally update your security system. I talked to Hank about it a month ago, but he said I'd have to ask you," she replied glad to slightly shift the conversation.

Charles immediately knew she had purposefully changed topics, and her past still had a big grip on her. It definitely explained some of her behavior, but he got the message and resigned himself to helping her more at another time.


	15. Chapter 15: An Anonymous Visitor

**Chapter 15: An Anonymous Visitor**

Que continued to meet with the Professor daily over the holidays. Most of the time they'd just play a game of chess, but sometimes he would get her to open up a little more. It was a little easier to share with a medium of some sort like chess or food, and she felt a sense solidarity with the man, in fact that he knew at least some of her past. She had shared something extremely personal, something that had shattered her, and left her still picking up the pieces. He hadn't turned her away. It meant a lot to Que. Last night, she had told him about Franco and the pit. She told him how it was just a training exercise, but the officers in charge had surprised them with sound of a disturbance to see their reactions. Que had found out later that they were being tested for, not endurance as she thought, but reactions under duress and resolve to follow orders. She share with the Professor how Franco was killed by falling and breaking his neck, and how she had immediately jumped down to help him. She was punished swiftly after because their orders had been to stand their ground regardless of disturbances, and the other unsaid rule the children had learned early on was to finish the mission at all costs. If someone went down in a mission and could not be quickly reconned, then they were to take all evidence and leave as quickly as possible. They were trained to be cold, calculating, and detached.

She contemplated these things, watching the snow fall. Here she was accepted, wanted even, and people cared about her. This would be her first Christmas with anyone in almost a decade too. It had always been a time of depression and solitude for her in the past, but this year she wanted to honor her new found friendships at the mansion. They had all been so kind to her, even when she did not return the favor. What could she do?

"Charles, I have some news on the dark matter we discussed earlier this year. You're not going to believe this," Hank said as he strode toward the Professor in the library.

"Hank, can we take this somewhere more quiet?" the Professor replied, glancing toward the door. He and Hank headed toward his study.

As he closed the door, Hank continued. "Charles, it's incredible. I don't even know how it has survived."

"Wait, slow down Hank. What do you mean?" Charles asked looking perplexed.

"The dark matter is some form of living entity! It's amazing. It's as if the corporeal body has been dispersed as this matter. Whatever it is, it is trying to reform!" Hank said excitedly.

"Hank, how did you find all of this information?" the Professor asked, equally intrigued.

"Well, that's the thing. A few nights ago, I think it was the night the rest of the students left, I got a strong localized reading on the dark matter. I hadn't checked it until today," he explained. "Remember how the matter didn't extend along the east coast? The patterns have changed. It has now localized itself over the New England area. Whatever it is, is more concentrated, and get this, a few nights ago it briefly took form in our area. The computer couldn't pinpoint its exact location, but it was close. I think it could be mutant. Maybe he or she is trying to make contact with us!"

"Hank, is amazing! You said it happened a few nights ago?" Charles paused.

"That was the same night Que had her incident. She said she thought there was a man in her room! While Storm and I were trying to calm her down, she kept talking about a man being there and darkness. I thought it was something from her dream. Do you think there could be a connection?" the Professor asked more concerned than excited now.

Hank's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he took on a look of contemplation. "That is possible... I will need to run some tests. I can even check her room if you like, and if the events are connected, I have a theory. We can discuss that more later when I have some more information. How are we going to tell Que about all of this?"

"Let me worry about that. Get whatever equipment you need ready, and Que and I will meet you in her room at five o'clock," he replied.

"Wait, you're saying you think there actually might have been some creepy man in my room that night! What the hell was he doing there?" Que said in alarm.

"We don't know anything for sure. It is just speculation, but Hank would like to run some tests in your room to find out for sure," the Professor explained calmly.

Que sat criss cross on her bed in stunned silence as Hank set up some strange looking equipment around her room. There were several tripods placed in the corners around her room, each with its own sensor and wires connecting to Hank's laptop. If Que hadn't been so anxious about the possible intruder, she might have gotten up for a closer inspection.

"We are just being cautious Que. Hopefully, the events were unrelated. This was where you thought you saw it right?" Hank asked, placing a sensor near the end of her bed. Que nodded with a look of slight irritation. The men seemed perfectly alright that someone possibly invaded her space and totally creeped on her!

Hank turned on all the sensors and set his laptop on Que's desk.

"If this entity was here, we should be able to pick up some residual dark matter from it," Hank explained to Que and the Professor.

"Dark matter! Prof you didn't say anything about dark matter! That's like black hole stuff!" Que said in distress.

Charles gave Hank an irritated look.

"Let's just see what the data says," Charles said before wheeling closer to the laptop and Hank.

Not long after, Hank's computer screen started filling with code and data. Lines upon lines, filled the screen, quicker than Que could read from her vantage point. She hopped off the bed and moved toward the pair of adults by her desk.

"What's it say Hank? Was I visited by a dark matter entity?" Que tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice was a bit too squeaky to fool anyone.

She almost wish she hadn't asked because when Hank turned around from his computer his face was pale.

"Yes, actually. Whoever it was, was definitely here," Hank said a bit shocked.

Que's eyes grew wide and Charles wore a blank mask. He was just as distressed by the news as Que. What could this being want and what were its motives?

"Do you think he was in my room by mistake? I mean come on. You said he might have just been trying to get in contact with us for help or something," Que suggested slightly panicky. She could tell by the look on his face he didn't think that was the case.

"Que, I think it may be best if you gather your things. I will make some arrangements for you to stay downstairs in the staff quarters. I also do not want you leaving the grounds alone until we get this straightened out," the Professor instructed her.

"What? Downstairs? Prof. I don't know if a few more walls is going to make a difference. What if it is dangerous? I don't want to draw him deeper into the house with more people!" Que said eyeing the exits of the room. 'What was her quickest possible exit? Where could she go to hide from this thing?' she thought, still panicked.

"Que, you will gather your things and move downstairs," the Professor said firmly. He knew her well enough to know she was planning to run.

"Regardless of its intentions, we will be safer in numbers. We are not going to let it harm you or anyone else here," he said in softer tone.

Anxiety racked though Que's body as she gathered her things. Hank collected his hardware and spoke softly to the Professor. They were not going to leave her alone until they knew she wouldn't bolt.

As she packed, she noticed she had acquired a lot more items now than when she first came to the mansion. She gathered all her parts for their unfinished Christmas gifts and quickly shoved them in her bag. She'd have to finish them soon, but keeping them a secret would probably be a bit more difficult.

The murmur of conversation between the Professor and Hank grew quieter, and naturally peaked her curiosity. She listened more closely.

"I don't like it Charles. Based on the data patterns, it looks like the location was not an accident," Hank whispered.

"Are you sure Hank?" the Professor asked.

"Yes, whoever it was, was definitely here on purpose," he replied.

From her peripheral vision, she saw Hank and the Professor send a worried side glance in her direction before moving into the hall.

Que knew she couldn't let any harm come to these people. She'd gotten in way to deep, and was firmly committed to keeping them safe, be damned the risk or cost.

It had been two days since Que moved into the staff quarters, and Storm had been more than willing to let Que bunk with her. Que had protested that there were plenty of empty rooms downstairs, but she knew the staff had ulterior motives for having her room with an adult X-Men. Regardless, she didn't like encroaching on anyone's space.

It was Christmas Eve and everyone was planning on a big dinner together. Que's worries about the whole dark matter, creeper man, had been stashed away for now, and she had been busy in the kitchen with Roberto all day. The pair had gotten together and unanimously decided they would cook. The Professor was satisfied with this especially since it would keep Que busy in the kitchen without having to be watched twenty four seven. Que hardly had a moment of peace without a senior staff member or one of the boys hanging about.

Dinner was almost ready at 4:30 that afternoon, and the pair of chefs planned let everything set and simmer until six. Roberto told Que he was fine if she wanted to run up and change or get anything. He would take care of putting on the green beans and checking the ham. Que gratefully accepted his offer. It was perfect time to freshen up and grab the gifts she had for them.

She was so excited as she headed to the basement and onto Storm's quarters that she almost blew a few of the paintings of the mansion walls as she ran past. Her gifts were going to be perfect, and she really hoped everyone liked them. Giving gifts this time of year was something she hadn't done in around a decade, and she had forgotten how exciting it was.

Before she got to her shared room, she felt the oddest sensation on the back of her neck. It was kind of tingly. "That is odd," she thought, and it went away once by the time she gathered her friend's gifts from under her bed. She had build a portable holographic photo inducer for each of them and put it in a type of accessory. There were watches, bracelets, keychains, and some were just pocket sized silver disks. She had digitized specific sets of photos for each person's gift to give them each a personal touch. She was quite proud of them, even if they weren't the fanciest things she'd ever made.

She changed out of her flour covered clothes and headed back upstairs. She had decided to make herself a little more presentable tonight too. Que was usually quite strict to here cotton shirt and denim regimine and despised anything that rubbed her skin, but several weeks ago, Raven had dragged Que to one of the local clothing stores in town. She helped Que find a deep purple blouse, still cotton, that Que wouldn't die of scruffy irritation and some nice, new jeans. Even though Que couldn't see the difference, it complemented her skin tone and made her look more mature. Much to her embarrassment, Raven had made quite a scene and loudly announced this when Que had come out of the fitting rooms to show her. Que smiled, thinking back on the memory.

As she headed back upstairs toward the living room, she felt the same strange tingle on her neck as before. It made her feel a bit light headed. She'd definitely have to sit down when she got back to the kitchen. As she placed the gifts under the tree, she could hear laughing coming from the kitchen. "Everyone is ready for dinner," she thought still smiling.

Suddenly, the tingling in her neck became a sharp jolt and everything went dark.


	16. Chapter 16: Creature of Darkness

**Chapter 16: Creature of Darkness**

The whole mansion crew was filing into the dining area for dinner. Doug and Roberto were comparing tacky Christmas sweaters, while Charles was catching up with Raven, who had just returned from visiting some friends upstate.

"Roberto, when can we eat man? I'm starving," Doug complained.

"Let me see who we are still waiting on," Roberto replied as he glanced around. "Hey Storm, I think we are just missing Que. Have you seen her? I know she went to change and grab some things from your room about an hour and a half ago. I wouldn't be surprised if she fell asleep with all the baking she did," Roberto laughed.

Storm looked over at Raven and the Professor in concern. "No, I haven't seen her. I was just in the room 20 minutes ago, and she wasn't there."

The Professor centered himself more in the room. "Has anyone, aside from Roberto, seen Que since earlier this afternoon?" he asked seriously.

The room was silent as the residents glanced around, watching and hoping for someone to speak up.

"Storm, check your bedroom and the basement, Raven you have this floor, boys the top floor, and Hank if you will check the mansion sensors. I will check on Cerebro. If anyone sees anything, contact me immediately!" the Professor instructed, quickly wheeling out of the room.

Everyone hastily went to search for Que, and after ten fruitless minutes, they met down in the basement war room. The only exception being Hank, who was still going over the mansion security systems and dark matter sensor.

"Nothing on the top floor Professor," Roberto said.

"And the room looked the same as when I left it. She had been there but it's been a while," Storm reported.

"I saw her gifts under the tree in the sitting room. They weren't their earlier this evening. Maybe she went there after changing?" Raven suggested.

"I couldn't pick her up on Cerebro, but if she chose to leave she would have some ability to block me out. So, we know after she left the kitchen, she came down here, and then went upstairs to the living room." the Professor confirmed.

At that moment Hank burst in the doors.

"I've got a visual," he said walking around to project his findings on the screen at the head of the table.

He hit a few buttons on an adjacent panel. Then, a side by side view of the room sensors and outdoor cameras appeared on the screen.

"Look, at 6 o'clock she was in the living room. Then, she exited the mansion through the back doors at 6:05. See?" he said as he showed them video footage from the back. The sensor readings showed a single presence in the living room, then the foyer, then they went blank and a small figure could be seen on the video side of the screen now.

"It was definitely Que," the Professor thought.

The footage showed Que's slim frame, exiting out the back doors and slowly walking toward the forest before disappearing out of visual range.

"Something is not right," the Professor thought.

Storm spoke up quietly "Charles, all of her things were still there. Clothes, computer, backpack, photographs. She wouldn't leave some of those things."

"So, she decided to take an evening stroll by the lake and into the woods?" Doug asked confused.

"No!" Raven spoke up suddenly, standing. "Don't you notice something strange about this?" There were a few blank expressions, but most nodded in agreement that something was off.

"Look," she continued. " First off, there is a foot of snow out there, and she isn't wearing a jacket, gloves, or anything to keep her warm. Plus, look at her posture and gait. Que does not walk like that! She looks half asleep. Charles, could this have been another telepath?"

"I don't know. I didn't sense anyone near. Hank, what about the dark matter?" Charles asked.

"I just got in some more readings… it's definitely here in the city. I think I can pinpoint it," Hank replied.

"Alright everyone, suit up. Doug, Roberto seeing as we are short staffed, and you both are older with combat training, you both may come with us to search for Que," Raven commanded.

The first thing Que felt was the cold. She shuffled her feet and rubbed her eyes. Why was she outside in the middle of the snow? Her vision was blurry at first, but it slowly cleared and the pickling in her scalp subsided. She look around, trying to get her bearings. There were woods to all sides of the clearing she was standing in, and there was around a foot of snow on the ground. Her clothes were soaked through with melted snow, and she couldn't quite feel her toes. What happened?

"Hello? Is... anyone th-there?" she stuttered. She was shaking with the cold, chilling her to her core. There was no answer. All she could hear was the wind howling as it blew snow about around her. It was so dark she could only see vague outlines of trees. She cupped her hands a brought out her light sphere. Immediately she felt the small warm glow of the light gather around and comfort her. She looked up to the sky to see if she could get her bearings any better from there, but the sky was clouded over and the snow was coming down too hard. She looked down and saw she had left a trail from where she'd walked through the snow. Maybe she could just follow it back to the mansion. She had obviously walked, so it couldn't be too far right?

As she turned to follow the path, she heard a deep, slightly distorted voice.

"Well, look at you. Kind of young this time are we not?" the voice said with a sneer

Que whirled around to identify the source. At first, she saw nothing but the blackness and shadows of trees, then as her eyes adjusted, she couldn't believe what she saw. Not eight feet away was the dark shape of a man, only it was like he was out of focus, kind of like his voice. If something could be darker than darkness, this was it because even though the figure was in the shadows he was darker than them.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Que called to the dark shape.

"Oh, come now. You can't remember? I guess you wouldn't, and I would have never believed it would pick a child. It must have been desperate. Oh, this is delicious," he chuckled coldly.

"As for who I am, well lets just say I am death, darkness, and deceit. I am the nightmares that plague your dreams," he replied coolly.

This dude must have had way too much time to think about this. He was so melodramatic, and Que would have pointed this out to him, but as he said the words, Que knew them all to be true. There was something about his presence that all but unhinged her. The very air around her seemed permeated with this cold darkness, and she felt like more of her energy was being drained with every passing moment in his presence.

"Are you going to continue standing their mute? What is your name child? I'd love to hear a few last words before I get you out of my way forever," the figure said.

Kill her? What was he talking about? She had never even met the guy, Que thought incredulously.

"What are you talking about? I have never even met you before!" she retorted as bravely as she could, making her light orb grow double in size and squaring her shoulders toward him. Even if she didn't feel confident she sure wasn't going to show it.

Though as she said the words something felt strange, like it wasn't quite true. She knew 100% that she'd never met a raving, melodramatic, dark blurr, and yet something about him was hauntingly familiar.

"Ah, she does speak and can do a little light trick. I dare say little one, you still don't seem like much, but no matter. I don't have much more time in this form," he continued, sneering, at least, Que thought it looked like a sneer.

"Somebody! Help!" she wanted to scream, but she couldn't speak or move for the terror she felt was like nothing she'd ever experienced. What was going on? What was wrong with her?

Things naturally went from bad to worse. At that moment, Que watched in horror, as his form moved toward her and started shifting into a giant, dark, blurry wolf.

" _I have a lock on Que!"_ the Professor entoned to everyone, sending them the location. She wasn't too far from the mansion. He could see the scene playing out. " _He is a threat! I repeat he is a threat! Hurry!"_

Storm flew toward the clearing as fast as she could like in the direction the Professor showed them, vlearing a path through the falling snow for her commerades on their snow vwhicles on the ground as she went. As the Professor broadcast the message, they also continued to watch the interaction between the creature and Que unfold. Come on Que run! Why didn't she run? As Storm thought this, she suddenly felt the wave of fear Que was overwhelmed with. Que was never scared, or at least she never showed it. This was bad and the image faded as they grew closer.

As the group burst into the clearing, they were met with a horrid site. There was a giant wolf thing in the center of the clearing. Darkness radiated from its body. Its sharp black fangs and claws were the only focused features of the creature, but they were enough. Que was standing obscured on the other side of the wolf, a giant sphere of light in hand.

The creature saw the group and immediately lunged for Que. Before anyone could react, it was on top of her. She screamed, and let her sphere fly. It was slightly off center but it was good enough to deflect him. It quickly got back to its feet and lunges again. The new commers started blasting the creature with everything they had, and it took notice of them. It reared back with a ground rumbling growl, and black spikes erupted from its body, flying in every direction. They all narrowly missed the unexpected assault of spikes. Que was across the clearing still on the ground after the creatures first attempt. She looked to be in shock.

"Stay alert and moving everyone. Move in your teams. Doug! Grab Que!" Raven called. Storm flanked her friend at this command and started struck the creature with a large bolt of lighting. It faltered, but was mostly unphased as it reared back again with a chilling roar, releasing more spikes in quicker succession. The team scattered as quickly as the could, but they were not as sucessful in evading them this time.

Hank got pinned to a tree, and Roberto dodged one by mere inches. Then there was a blood curdling scream, and they saw Doug laying motionless in blood red snow, a black spike lodged in his side.

Almost instantaneously, a blinding ring of light blast through the clearing. They had to brace themselves against the force, but the X-Men stood their ground, yet before the ring could hit the creature, it dissipated into the sky. The clearing went silent.

Then, rumbling low through the air, they heard the deep, chilling, distorted voice.

"You have your friends now, but they cannot protect you forever. Soon, I will have my full power and form. Then, I will be back for you little one," the voice said letting out one last crackly, chilling laugh. Then there was silence again.


	17. Chapyer 17: A Late Night

**Chapter 17: A Late Night**

Doug was rushed back to the mansion. The black implement had disappeared with the creature, but the hole in his side was still gapingly, evident. Storm and Hank had packed it with snow to keep him from bleeding out, but things still were not looking good for young blond teen.

He was still unconscious when they all arrived back at the mansion. Thankfully, the spike had not been as deep as originally thought, so they were able to stop the bleeding quickly. However, there were now black tendrils extending from the wound. Hank suspected the spike had been laced with some kind of poison. He was working as quickly as he could down in his lab to find an antidote, but the poison was of an unknown organic substance.

The Professor and Roberto stayed with Doug, while Storm and Raven took a protesting, and slightly blue from the cold, Que to another room to check her over.

"You guys, I am fine. Please let me go see Doug!" Que pleaded frantically. Her speech was slightly slurred, and she felt extremely tired. Her eyes kept drooping against her will, but she had to see Doug.

"Que, the Professor and Hank are taking care of him. You, however, are our responsibility, and you are blue and can't control your extremities. Now, you need to start stripping off those wet clothes. We will get you more later. You are already hypothermic and going to lose some appendages if we don't," Raven instructed sternly. Que hesitated, her brain felt like it was processing through molasses, so she continued to stare at her mentors like they had three heads.

Raven, tired of waiting, started pulling Que's shirt over her head. Que was slightly alarmed and clumsily slid off the edge of the bed, where she had been seated.

"Wait!" Que said fumbling to stop her hands. "I… I can do it. Please, I… um. I can go..." she stammered looking around for somewhere more private. She attempted to back up, but she just bumped into the bed. Her lack of coordination and hazy brain were not doing her any favors. "You don't have anything either of us don't have or haven't seen," Storm chided, supporting the unsteady girl under the arms.

She and Raven ignored Que's protests and continued to quickly uncloth the shaking girl. Que gave in and her head lolled to the side. She couldn't resist anymore. She was just so tired.

Raven and Storm were able to just finish and help her back on the bed before she fell fast asleep.

While the two had been drying off and clothing the groggy Que, they noticed why she had tried to refuse their help. Storm glanced at Raven, both of them thinking in tandem.

They had seen the now sleeping, blanketed girl was covered in various scars. The most prominent were long strips running the lengths of her back and arms. Then, there were small puncture wounds scattered about, a wider more crude gash across her front mid-section, another running four inches down from her left shoulder, and patches of wrinkled skin across her her right clavicle and left calf, possibly from some type of burn.

They had never thought too much about it, but Que tended to wear more concealing clothing, like her flannel jacket and cotton hoodies, regardless of the weather. She sometimes wore shorts, and they had seen the scar on her leg but hadn't given it much thought either.

Storm was just finishing up Que's warm saline IV when she spoke up.

"Did you know?" she asked Raven quietly.

Raven just shook her head.

"Should we mention something to Charles?" she asked.

"I am not sure that he doesn't already know, but I think it might be worth mentioning, especially if it had something to do with tonight's visitor.I am going to speak with him," Raven replied.

As Raven headed toward the door, a strange thing happened. A small, yet extremely bright sphere of light appeared and floated up next her. She moved away, but the sphere just followed her. It danced around Raven's shoulders some before settling near the air just to left of her.

Storm's eyes grew wide "I think that is Que's. Maybe she has triggered something in her sleep. It isn't dangerous, but go ahead to the Professor and see what it does."

The light continued to follow Raven into the hall, floating right above her shoulder. When she entered Doug's room, the Professor and Hank, who had returned from his lab, gave her quizzical looks.

"I don't know," she said waving them off. "How is he? Have you found anything yet Hank?"

"I have been unable to stabilize the organic patterns in it enough to make a solution. He is holding on, but I need to find something soon," Hank said with a concerned glance at the boys tight face. Doug may have been unconscious, but he looked like he was in a lot of pain.

At this, the sphere of light danced down from Raven's shoulder and floated over to the comatose boy. It hovered for a brief moment over where he had been impaled before sinking into his wound. It glowed momentarily, then the three adults watched in awe as they saw the light slowly spread into the blackness. It ate away the tendrils and dimmed. Doug's previously painstaken expression relaxed.

"His vitals are picking up," Hank said amazed. "Raven, what was that?"

"I have no idea. I think it was from Que, but she is unconscious. Also, Charles you may already aware, but we need to show you something," Raven said leading him back to Que's room.

Charles went with Raven to where Que was sleeping. Raven noticed that Que wore such a calm expression while she was sleeping. It was nothing like the serious or anxious one that usually masked her face.

The two women described the scars to Charles. Then, they gingerly and modestly maneuvered Que to showed the Professor some of what they had discovered. Que mumbled some, but didn't wake up.

"We didn't know if you knew, but if any of this possibly has a connection to tonight you would know," Storm explained.

"Unfortunately no, I do not think they are related. I know how she possibly got some of these, but I had no idea the extent. I only know a small portion of her history," he said, staring at the sleeping Que.

"How is she doing? I know you reported she was experiencing symptoms of hypothermia. I hate to wake her, but we need to know what happened tonight."

Storm nodded and gently nudged Que's shoulder. "Que," she said as the Professor settled himself next to her bed.

"Mmm? Five more minutes," she said her forehead wrinkling at the unwelcome intrusion.

"Que, we need to ask you some questions about tonight," Storm said gently.

Que, opened her eyes drowsily. "Mmm?" she repeated lazily glancing toward the adults.

"I'm cold," she said offhandedly, nestling herself deeper into the blankets surrounding her.

"Que, I need you to focus the best you can briefly," Charles instructed her quietly.

"Okay, can I go back to sleep after?" she asked her eyes slipping closed again.

"Yes, but you have to stay awake now. Que, what do you remember about tonight? Did you go off in the woods of your own free will?" Charles asked.

"Um, no. I just was there," she replied.

"What do you mean?" he prompted.

"Well, I was in the living room and then, poof I was in the woods. There was no in between," she said.

"My head felt kind of tingly in my room and in the living room. The feeling got sharp and poof everything was dark, and I was in the woods. It was quite cold. I am cold," she said, her eyes slipping closed again.

He turned toward Raven and Storm who wore equally concerned expressions.

"So, it sounds like something took control of her?" Raven asked.

"I am not sure," he said turning back to Que. "Thank you Que. If you…" he stopped. She was already back asleep with her mouth slightly agape.

Charles almost smiled, but then addressed the pair "We need to find out more about this entity and his connection to Que, but it is late. For tonight, I think it is best for us all to get some rest."


	18. Chapter 18: A Friendly Face

**Chapter 18: A Friendly Face**

It was Doug's first day out of the infirmary, and he and Roberto were already causing mayhem around the mansion. They had filled shampoo bottles with mayonnaise and put shampoo in the mayonnaise jar, strung up obnoxious signs outside of Raven's room, and glued Hank's glasses to the laboratory ceiling. They were known for their occasional pranks, but this was a bit much. The Professor had already called them in to see him by lunch in an attempt to quell their overzealous behavior. They chalked it up to just being a celebration, and he let them off with a warning.

Que, on the other hand, had kept more to herself. She spent more time either locked in her old room in the girls hall or in the trees and on the roof where no one could find her. The Professor had made several attempts to to talk to her, but she easily evaded him by either ensuring they were never in the same room and blocking him when he tried to send her telepathic messages to request her meet him.

She had a harder time escaping Raven and Storm. When they could find her, they were able to scale or fly to whatever height necessary. Que wouldn't talk to them either though. She would just say she was fine, and then leave whether they were done speaking or not.

None too soon, Aasir kept his promise and returned to the mansion after spending Christmas with his family. Before he could make it through the doors, the Professor requested him in his study.

"What could he need me for so soon?" Aasir thought light heartedly, striding into the mansion.

"Happy Christmas, Prof!" Aasir said jovially, entering into the study.

Charles couldn't help but smile at the dark skinned boy. He always had a way to brighten a room.

"And to you Aasir. We have really missed you around here. Especially Que, I might add." he said raising his eyebrows and giving the youth a knowing smile.

Aasir blushed "So what's up? I haven't been here long enough to cause any trouble. At least I don't think I have."

The Professor laughed. "No Aasir. Roberto and Doug have that covered for you. I wanted to update you on some recent events here at the mansion, and I wanted to make sure I told you myself. We may need your assistance as well," he said more seriously.

"Of course Professor. I will do what I can," Aasir replied, confused by the Professor's more serious tone.

The pair settled in with some tea and began to discuss the recent events.

Que was reclining at almost the highest point in her favorite elm tree. She had just run off Storm and Raven for what seemed like the millionth time and was relieved to finally be alone again. She appreciated everyone's concern, but she was fine. She didn't need anyone looking after her, especially when it could get them hurt. Que was responsible for what had happened to Doug, plain and simple. For the past several days, she had been planning how she should move forward.

She knew she would have to leave. There was no way she was going to attract that maniac to the mansion again. She cared about these people more than she had for anyone in an extremely long time, and they risked their lives to protect her. This was also part of the reason she hadn't been able to leave yet. Que knew she needed to leave, but she really didn't want to. It was selfish, but at the same time leaving would need to be carefully planned. There was no way any of them would just let Que leave of her own free will now.

Que had devised a general outline of how to leave though. It just required a little more time for tinkering. She could probably leave within the next day or two. Que had already lined up some places where she could live off the grid, gathered some miscellaneous supplies, and built a device that could detect the dark matter. Packing wouldn't be a problem either. Her backpack was fitted with a digitizing device she had created a while back. It could scan and digitize small nonliving matter, and store it as binary code. She had gone into hiding once before, and this shouldn't be any different right? Grant it, this time there was a sub-humanoid dark matter freak coming after her.

The hardest part that she need to focus on now though would be getting out without everyone in the mansion knowing or trying to find and stop her.

As she was contemplating this she spotted a hawk soar through the sky over the mansion. It moved so gracefully on the wind with its red belly and speckled wings. It drew closer to her spot, and she could see it was a red-shouldered hawk.

"Could it be?" she thought hopefully.

It grew closer and closer and made Que duck as it swooped in, perching on the branch nearest her. He was beautiful.

"Aasir! You're back!" Que said excitedly. She only found out about his gift back in November, and could never get over how amazing he could be in his animal forms. He had about made her wet herself when he popped out behind a tree in the form of a wild boar. That form was definitely not one of her favorites.

The bird cocked it's head and blinked at her before sailing down to a lower branch.

"Okay! I'll be right down," she called after him. When she glanced back down, she could see Aasir, on the ground. He had taken the shape of a chocolate lab, its tail vigorously wagging. He could be such a show off.

She clambered down the branches as fast as she could, a bit too fast. Before she reached the bottom, her foot missed a branch, and she crashed down the last six feet, landing with a loud thud. The lab made a strange snorting bark that sounded almost like laughter. Then, it bounded over, sprang on top of her, and licked her face.

"Ah! Aasir! Get off! That is so gross! And for goodness sake will you turn back to yourself!" she laughed shoving him off her chest. Aasir flounced about a little more, and Que watched in awe as he gracefully morphed back into a human boy. "Better? I thought you liked my wild side?" Aasir called to her.

"Aasir! I am glad you are back," she said running over to catch up with him.

"I made you a promise didn't I?" he said smiling. "How have you been? I heard there's been some commotion around here."

She gave him a sideways glance " Who have you been talking to?"

"Oh, you know, just everyone," he laughed. "Fill me in! If I'd known things would be eventful, I might have stayed myself!"

Que cast his a sideways glance. She had a sneaking suspicion he already knew exactly what happened. She had been so excited to see him that she hadn't even thought about how it might affect her plans for leaving. He would definitely be a problem, there was no doubt about that.

"We can talk more about that later. I'm sure you've heard plenty from everyone else. Tell me about your trip home! Your family!" she gushed attempting to turn his spark of interest to another topic.

It worked for the most part. She could tell he wouldn't drop the subject entirely, but Aasir willingly changed topics. She knew him well enough that he would table their discussion and hold her to her promise of later.

Que and Aasir spent the entire afternoon together. They raced through the forest, both indulging in their powers some, trying to get ahead of one another. They rebuilt their ice castle and added a slide, and Que even showed him her new favorite hiding places, one being atop the mansion. By the time the sun was setting, both of them were extremely cold and hungry. No one bothered them, although Doug and Roberto snickered a little as they passed the pair in the hallway to the kitchen.

At dinner, the conversations were the loudest they'd been since Christmas Eve. Everyone was laughing and sharing various stories from interesting, exciting, and embarrassing holidays past. Though Que did not share, she enjoyed and commented on them all. All of the staff was pleased to see that she was getting back to her old self. Que had actually been absent at dinner since the event with the dark creature. She hadn't realized how much she had not just missed Aasir's company but everyone's. She hadn't realized how attached she had become to all of them. How was she supposed to leave all this behind?

After dinner, Que and Aasir headed to the library. They had often ended their days with books or something to tinker with. Today, there was a nice, warm fire built in the large marble fireplace.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Que said rummaging in her pockets.

She pulled out a small silver watch.

"Happy Christmas. I made everyone one with slight variations. Watch."

As she played with some of the buttons on the watch, a 3D holographic image appeared. It was of her and Aasir outside laughing. She had hoped on his back during a game of capture the flag. More images phased through as well as some videos; Aasir and Que in a serious discussion in class, the pair smiling at the camera while sitting under the elm tree. Aasir remembered taking that one, but he had no idea how she'd taken the others.

"It also has a holo-feature that will connect to mine. That way we can contact each other whenever we like. Only yours has that though. See?," she continued. Que turned the extra knob on the side and Aasir suddenly heard a soft tinkling sound coming from under Que's shirt. He hadn't noticed before, probably because of all the winter gear they'd been cover up in, but around Que's neck was a thin silver chain. She pulled the chain from around her neck revealing a small silver locket. It looked much older than his watch. It had an intricately woven like boarder, and there was a branch of possibly a cherry tree going across the silver sphere. At the end of the branch was a small bird. She opened her locket, and Aasir's awe filled face appeared in all its 3D holographic glory. Que's face appeared in his own item, smiling a small almost bashful half smile.

"How did you make this and how did you get these photos?" he asked amazed.

"My backpack has a recording system. I just took snapshots from different footage. The tech would be a little more complicated to explain," she replied.

"I didn't even think to get anyone anything," Aasir said guiltally.

Que just shrugged and gave him a forgiving smile, as he continued to go through the photos. "Where is your locket from? It doesn't look like just any old knick knack," Aasir asked.

"I didn't damage it. I could never do that. I just fit all the micro-tech inside a shell that could slide inside the locket," she explained.

"Yeah, but where is it from? It is beautiful," he persisted.

"It was from an old friend a long time ago," she replied finitely. Aasir was a bit put off from her tone, but he knew that it meant the locket was something very precious. She never mentioned any sort of friends from her past, so he let the conversation drop and the pair fell back into silence.

As the time passed, Aasir fiddled with his watch and Que slipped deep in thought as she sat in front of the warm fireplace. It was the look Aasir had noticed appearing on Que's face all day long when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

"Earth to Que. Are you home?" Aasir said after some time, waving his hands in front of her face.

"Hmm? Yeah. What's up?" she said coming out of her daze.

"You've just seemed a little out in space. Are you alright?" he asked.

Aasir gave Que an intense, concerned look and she knew he meant more than just in that moment. "No you too!" she moaned. "You've totally been talking to the Prof! Haven't you? I'll give you the same answer I've given them. Everything is fine."

"Are you really though?" he said quietly. "I don't want to talk about this Aasir. I'm fine," she said shortly.

They sat in silence for a long time again, avoiding each other's gaze.

"Que, yes I talked to him, and he is worried. They all are. I know we've had a ton of fun today, but whenever we stopped you seemed like you were somewhere else. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have said anything... I care Que," he said finally. "It is okay for you to not be okay, but don't just block me out."

Que sharply turned to Aasir, facing him full on, her face red and angry.

"Fine! I'm not okay. Alright? I'm not! I got lured into the woods by a demonic creature, got Doug impaled, and almost got everyone I care about killed! And now you are here and that makes it ten times worse for me to be here! Does that sound like okay to you!" she shouted at her friend.

Aasir looked like a deer in headlights at Que's outburst. Que, embarrassed, quickly turned away, pulling her knees to her chest. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't…," she said quietly.

Aasir got up from his chair and slid onto the couch next to Que. He didn't say anything. He hesitated, but slowly he wrapped her in his arms. Que didn't know what to do. Her long ingrained instincts told her to run, but something else deep inside held her content in place.

"He was so dark and cold. The darkness was so intense. I thought...it was terrifying, and I am scared," she confessed. She couldn't stop herself.

Aasir felt her body shiver in his arms as she spoke. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I am so sorry this has happened to you. We'll figure this out though. Together."

They sat that way for what seemed like hours. Que realized then she didn't have a choice anymore. No matter how much she wanted to stay, she had to protect him as well as the others at the mansion. They couldn't do this together. He could get hurt or worse killed. She'd have to leave, and she'd have to leave tonight.


	19. Chapter 19: A Quick Ride

**Chapter 19: A Quick Ride (End of Inchoate)**

It was around midnight when the pair headed off to their rooms.

Que snuck up to her old bedroom and gathered all her supplies in her backpack. She was glad it was so late. She'd hate to run into the Professor at this point because her intentions would be written all over her face.

When she crept downstairs into her and Storm's shared room, Storm was still awake.

"Hey Que, where have you been?" she asked while brushing through her hair.

"I was upstairs in the library catching up with Aasir," she replied as casually as she could.

At this, Storm turned to face Que. She had heard the tightness in her voice.

Que had to think fast. What was the most girly distracting think she could think of? Thankfully what came out of her mouth next wasn't a lie or just random gibberish at all.

"Hey Storm, you don't think… I mean... Do you think Aasir likes me?

Umm… I mean like, like likes me," she trailed off and felt extremely embarrassed that such a childish and trivial thought had even crossed her mind. She had a murderous dark entity after her after all. Either way, she was curious to what Storm would have to say about it all.

Storm's look of concern quickly grew into a giddy smile.

"Oh Que, you can be a tad blind sometimes. Of course he likes you. Actually, I think he is head over heels for you," she said beaming.

Que was genuinely surprised by her answer. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes," Storm said matter factly.

This threw Que off for a brief moment. "Oh… well. Thanks. Good night Storm," Que said awkwardly and Storm didn't push her for anymore information.

" Goodnight Que, I'll see you in the morning," Aasir said as they parted ways.

"Goodnight Aasir. Thank you for tonight," she replied "You're a pretty amazing friend, and my best friend. You know that right?"

Aasir smiled at her. "Yeah we make a pretty good team right?"

She gave him a half smile, but didn't quite meet his gaze before leaving.

After Aasir left the library, he headed upstairs to the boys hall. He couldn't get over he and Que's evening. Just thinking about it made him feel like he would burst with elation, yet he also felt a deep sadness. So much had happened in just the little time he had been away, and she was scared, which scared him even more. Que was brave, loyal, smart, stubborn, strong, and reckless, and she never showed her fear. Never. He felt honored and concerned all at the same time that Que had shown him such vulnerability.

Aasir paused at the top of the steps.

 _'Professor?'_ he thought, though he was sure his teacher would have to be asleep by now, but he had to try and talk to someone, and the Professor truly was like another parent to him.

 _Aasir? Yes, is everything alright? Come in._ Aasir heard back, surprised.

As Aasir walked in, he realized he had never been inside the Professor's room before. It was terribly cliche. Four poster bed, dark booklined walls, a sitting area and fireplace.

'Very neo gothic or old english. Such a stereotypical Prof,' he thought to himself smiling. The Professor was sitting on a red sofa in pale blue pajamas and a housecoat by a barely burning fire.

"I hope I didn't wake or bother you Professor," Aasir said slightly embarrassed. He hadn't seen the Professor in his pajamas much either.

"No, of course not Aasir. I was just up doing a bit of light reading. Shakespeare actually," the Professor grinned. "What brings you here so late?"

"I was hanging out with Que this evening, and you were right. She isn't okay," Aasir explained, concern etched across his young face.

"What happened Aasir?" the Professor asked, slight anxiety tinted his voice.

Que set her plan in motion around 2 o'clock the next morning. Storm was fast asleep, so she planted a holographic device on her bed, grabbed her bag, and headed out. If Storm woke, all she'd see would be Que under the covers.

Que crept down the halls and toward the elevators. She had thought about going through the vents or the aircraft bay doors, but she decided that the simplest course of action would probably be best. She could make up an excuse for being upstairs if she were caught, but the other places it was very unlikely she'd get away with checking the filters. She'd even set a program that would wipe her from the mansion surveillance cameras just in case someone happened to be watching.

The house was dark and silent as she had expected, and she got through the front doors without a hitch. It was almost too easy she thought. Once she was in the cover of trees and shadows, she put on a device she hadn't used in over four years.

They were black, metal bands that clasp tightly to her wrists. On contact, the symbols around the bands glowed a pale white. Then a black scaled mesh spread quick up from the devices and across Que's skin. Her body was engulfed by the suite.

She set her backpack on the ground a foot away from her, and accessed a data panel on her arm. A lens at the back of the bag glowed and then shown. A black Kawasaki-esk motorcycle materialized in from of her. She set her backpack inside the bike, and charged it up herself. She tapped a button at her collar bone, and out from the neck came a helmet that covered her head and face. It somewhat resembled a sleeker version of a racing helmet. She couldn't believe the suite still fit, but she shouldn't have been surprised. She was sure there were limits, but it was designed to engulf its owner regardless of shape.

As much as she hated the memories tied to all of these things, she couldn't help admire the fancy gear and ride at the same time. She hopped on the bike and turned on her visor. She didn't need lights at the moment. Her visor in her helmet would suffice in getting her going. It was like having a mini computer in front of her face, analyzing everything around her.

She set her coordinates for west and headed out the gate, toward the road. Her bike quietly picked up speed as she sped down the curvy road. The sleek vehicle effortlessly hugged the curves as the night rushed past Que in a blurr.

As she rounded the next bend, the road opened into a small straight away, and there she saw a large dark animal standing in the middle of road! She blew her horn at the animal, but it didn't budge. She slammed her brakes and skidded to a stop not 5 feet from the beast. It was an extra large stag,and it was staring directly at her. What was odd though was Que could have sworn it looked angry. Was that even possible?

The realization dawned on her a touch to late. The stag quickly morphed into an even angrier looking Aasir.

Aasir glared at her. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

"What the hell are you doing?" Aasir shouted at her. Oh he was pissed, and Que couldn't think of any time she'd seen him like this, not ever. Dumbfounded, Que retracted her helmet feeling the cold breeze and night air.

"I should be asking you that question. How are you here?" Que responded in a more irritated tone than she meant to.

"I tracked you! After a lunatic tries to kill you, your first instinct is to run away in the dark, alone?" he continued to shout.

"He is just going to come looking for me no matter where I am at. I have to run. Alone! I can't put anyone else in the mansion at danger!" she retorted.

"You could have at least told me! I know you are terrified, but this isn't the right answer. We all said we'd stand by you, and you just run off? We can take care of ourselves Que. You have to trust them. Trust me! What do you not understand about that?" Aasir said more exasperated than angry now.

"Get out of my way Aasir," Que said in a low, more dangerous tone. She'd fight her way past him if it meant keeping him and their friends safe.

She sent off a warning spark near his feet.

Aasir didn't bat an eye, and before she could react, a silver backed gorilla was upon her, hoisting her onto itself. Que thrashed about in the gorilla's vice like grip, but she couldn't get free. Every move she made just made Aasir squeeze tighter.

She was yelling somewhat incoherently at him, threatening to shock him, beat the living daylights out of him, complaining about her bike. Truth be told she didn't trust herself to shock him at such close range though.

They continued like this for several more yards until finally he stopped and set her down. His hands still on her arms, he changed back into himself. She glared at him.

"You can fight me all the way home while I drag you, or we can walk back together," he said finally.

"Aasir, if you don't leave me alone I am going to shock you into oblivion," she hissed.

"No you won't. I know you. That's not your style, and I also think deep down you don't really want to leave. Otherwise, I feel like if you were desperate enough, you would have already taken me out," he replied coolly.

Que said nothing. She knew he was right, and she was selfish down to her core. The truth was, she was only able to put her flight into action when no one was around and the moment Aasir confronted her in road, her resolve had all but fallen to pieces.

"Look, I know it is not going to be easy, but we have a better chance fighting whoever he is together," Aasir said.

"I'll walk," she conceded. "Can we go get my bike?"

"Of course we are getting it. I didn't mean we would literally walk back if you chose that. We are like six miles from home. We are totally riding back," he replied, his stern expression cracking into a grin.

As they collected the bike, Que got out a spare helmet and instructed Aasir on how to ride with her. He got on the back, holding on the Que tight. He thought the gender rolls here were a little off but who was he to stereotype.

On their way back, the frigid wind whipped around them, and Aasir couldn't help but comment. "This is awesome!" He said. He had never ridden a motorcycle before, and they were going fast!

When they approached the mansion, all was quiet and dark as they had left it.

"Hey, can we just not tell anyone about this?" she asked as she digitized her bike.

"Umm… about that. Prof definitely already knows and was on stand by if I couldn't convince you to come back myself," he said slightly embarrassed.

"Uh! Of course he does, and I suppose everyone else will now too. Do you realize the kind of lecture you just earned me?" she said as she frustratedly shoved open the front door.

Naturally, a dim glow could be seeing spilling out into the hall from the sitting room adjacent to the entryway, and there the Professor was waiting for them.


	20. Author's Note: End of Inchoate

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading _Inchoate_ , the 1st book in the Becoming Complete Series! I am super excited to be working on the next instalment, _Recrudescenes_ , and continueing Que's story for you all.

I encourage and appreciate any reviews and advice you may have to make Becoming Complete really shine!


	21. Recrudescenes: Prologue

**Prologue**

A damp haze covered the remote jungle island in the Pacific, as water lashed against the rocky cliffs that stood guarding its edge. A steel, crate ridden barge slowly trudged around the edge of the island, carefully avoiding the rocks at its coast. It's captain, a haggard looking old seaman, with a frizzled grey beard and limp on his right side. His most notable feature, however, was a reddish, wrinkled scar which could just barely be seen beyond his facial hair and low hanging rain cap. The scar disfigured almost half the man's face, running over his left eye and on down to his left ear and cheek.

The craft and its crew found their way under an overpass in the rocky barrier. Beyond the boat the back cave wall ascended into the rocky crevasse above revealing a fluorescent lit, docking area, lined with guards. The boat came to a stop and the captain departed the ship. He removed his cap and faux facial hair revealing more scaring up into his grey hairline and down the left of his neck.

A guard dressed in all black Kevlar and equipped with a charge gun approached the man, followed by another slighter figure in a sleek, dark grey Kiton suit with snow white hair slicked back with a copious amount of gel.

"Ah, Tobin. I assume your search was a success?" the well dressed man asked. Tobin closed his eyes, giving a slight nod, and handed him a medium manila envelope. The man took it and gingerly slipped his fingers under the lip, peeling it back. The man reached in and pulled out several papers and photographs. A slow smile spread across his face as he scan through each piece, savoring each one. He glanced back at Tobin.

"Assemble your Alpha team and take whatever you deem necessary. It looks like you all will be taking a trip to Westchester, New York."


	22. Chapter 1: Skipping

**Recrudescence-** **Chapter 1: Skipping**

With the summer drawing closer upon them, the students at the Xavier Institute were busy with studying for final exams and Spring events. The Professor had finished up his last class for the day and was heading towards his study. Raven, who was in her natural blue form and in workout slacks, was just coming off the mansion elevator as Charles rolled near.

"Ah Raven, have a nice training session?" he asked lightly.

"It went fairly well, even though we were short a few more experienced teammates. The newbies, ran well with what they had. They accepted the challenge well," she responded, pride sliding into her voice.

Charles' brow furrowed as he grimaced. "I'm assuming you haven't seen Que or Aasir this afternoon. They were out from my class today."

"I wish I could say I had. They were not in my class either this afternoon. Last time I saw them was at lunch," she replied coming into stride next to the Professor.

"I will do a quick scan for them. They usually don't go far, but this is becoming a seriously bad habit. This is the third time this month they've missed class," he replied.

"Only third? I think they've missed training twice already this week," Raven replied exasperated.

They headed toward Charles' study on the floor. Once in Charles settle in by his desk, and Raven took a seat on a small sofa nearby, he closed his eyes in concentration. The Professor sighed. "They are fine. Que may be difficult to mentally track, but Aasir is definitely not. Just playing hooky again out in the forest, just beyond the lake. I need to have a chat with the pair of them, again, and not just about their lack of enthusiasm for their classes. I know they are on the grounds, but it still worries me them being so far with all of the events this past Christmas," the Professor rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

"I know Charles. I will go reign them, but they are kids, so don't be too hard on them." she replied with a half smile.

"It's gotten really out of hand since Christmas. I thought Doug and Roberto were bad, but these two are going to be the death of me, I swear. Skipping, always running off, as well as some general lack of respect for fellow classmates and teachers, at least on Que's part anyway… I will do my best. Just send them here. I have a feeling I'll be here for a while grading anyway." he replied as she exited.

Off across the estate, past the edges of Breakstone lake, and into the trees a low rumble could be heard. The trees started to shake as the rumble grew louder and a strong breeze filled the air. Suddenly, through the thicket burst a streak of light weaving intricately through the maze and closely behind a black blur followed.

"Ha! You're going to have to be faster than that Aasir!" Que yelled. She was zoomed forward on what looked to be something straight out of Back to the Future. It was Que's take on a levitating skateboard, an invention of hers that ran off her own energy. Aasir, in panther form, let out a loud growl, as he pursued her closely, and picked up speed. The two sped through the forest, nearing the the edge by the lake.

"Last one there has to take a cold swim!" Que taunted, still leading by several yards. Aasir took a bounding leap, catapulting himself into the air, and changing mid flight into a red tailed falcon. He let out a jeering screech as he fell into pace with Que, sweeping in her breeze.

"Awe, no fair! I thought we said no birds this time," she called as he squaked again taking the lead. Que attempted to catch him, and willed her board even faster, putting forth as much juice as she could muster. Her board took on a whole new speed. She'd never pushed it this hard before, and it took her breath away in surprise. She zoomed past Aasir again and glanced back at him for a brief instant "You'll never catch me now!" she called.

She regretted this decision instantly, turning back around to see she was hurtling toward a large elm at the edge of a lake. She cut her power the best she could, but it was too late. She decided she'd have to slide it to a stop. Que tipped the board off balance, like she'd done so many times in the test runs, just not at this speed nor on purpose. The board tipped, spun out of control and sent both it and its rider tumbling to the ground, rolling to a dizzying stop at the edge of the lake, missing the tree by few meer feet.

Aasir flew up to the grass and dirt cover Que still lying on the ground.

"Que! Are you okay?" he said out of breath. The girl sat up clutching her head and looking a little worse for wear.

" Everything hurts… but that was AWESOME!" she yelled, but immediately her face took on a new shade of green. "Oh I think I'm going to be sick," she said moving hands down to her stomach and losing her previous adrenaline and bravado.

Aasir smirked and knelt down to Que, trying to help her brush off some dirt and see if she was really okay.

"Don't puke on me okay? Can you stand?"

"Ugh. Don't touch me. There is a good chance I will vomit on you," she groaned. Que had a lot of scrapes and bruises, and would definitely be sore for the next few days, but otherwise Aasir noted she seemed only a little worse for wear thus far.

After Que dry heaved some into the grass, Aasir helped her to her feet. Before she could get fully up, she stumbled sideways into her companion wincing in pain.

"Que, whoa. What's wrong?" he asked catching and steading her.

"Crap. I think I may have twisted my ankle. It's fine. I'll just put some ice on it when we get back to the house. Grab my board will you? I'm fine," she said straightening up, but still not putting weight on her ankle.

Aasir grabbed the bits of her board scattered about, and gave Que a condescending look. "I should probably go get someone. You might have broken something, and or possibly have a concussion. That was a pretty rough…"

"I'm fine! Don't you go telling on me Aasir! Seriously! Mom will lock me away in the mansion forever at this rate," she cut him off, exasperated. Mom was what they tended to refer to the Professor as of late when they knew trouble was headed their way. Que knew the Professor cared a lot about his students. They were his family, but sometimes he could be completely overbearing, irrational, and down right naggy. She looked up to the Prof in a paternal sort of way, like she never had anyone else, but at the same time Que would be 15 in a few months. Hormones had taken over, reconing her brain, and she was in full blown rebellious teenager mode. She was aware of all this, yet she didn't care a whole lot at the present moment.

"Aasir. I'm fine!" she repeated.

He rolled his eyes and adjusted himself to help her hobble to the mansion.

On their way there, Raven spotted them and ran in their direction when she saw the state of Que. Que quickly pushed Aasir away before she could close in on them and see her limping along.

"Que! Are you alright? What happened?" Raven asked, appraising Que's small muddy stature incredulously.

"Oh yeah, we're great. Fell in some mud in the woods. How about yourself?" Que asked casually.

"Que, you guys realize this is a school, right? You can't just skip class whenever you feel like it," Raven chided.

"Hmm, I thought it was a zoo… who knew," Que replied sarcastically.

Raven narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. She knew Charles hadn't been kidding about Que's attitude lately, but it was starting to get old.

"Sure Que. You can take it up with Charles. Yes, he wants to speak with you both."

"Sure, we'll be in once we change," Aasir replied, feeling the slight tension, and flashing his prize winning smile. Que took notice immediately and Raven rolled her eyes.

"Alright you two. Get going," she said as she walked off.

Once she was a good distance ahead the pair started off again, and about half way home Aasir shifted form and carried Que back to the house and up the trellis that lead straight into Que's room. Aasir, being the gentleman he was, left to change and give his friend some privacy.

As Que struggled to change out of her muddy clothing, she noticed her ankle was quite swollen and hurt. A lot. It would be difficult to conceal. She also found several bruises on her midsection which possibly meant bruised ribs, and some angry looking scrapes on her forearms and shins.

Thus, she gingerly made her way to her shared bathroom to wash off and hope for the best.

Her ankle was killing her, and she could hardly put any weight on it. How was she supposed to be subtle if she couldn't even hobble to her bedroom door? She eyed different parts of her room, searching for an idea, then she saw it. Herr snow boots sticking out from the edge of her closet doorway would be her key to subtly. They had lots of ankle support if she padded and laced them right.

She hopped to her closet and tested her theory. Shoving her oversized ankle into the thick material and lacing it up was not easily done and definitely not without some tears. Once finished, her ankle still hurt like no tomorrow, but she could walk. Well, sort of any way.

Once she'd cleaned up in the bathroom and changed clothes, making sure to wear long jeans that covered her off seasonal footwear, she flopped back on her bed, exhausted. Going downstairs to get a lecture by the Prof was not the way she had planned her afternoon, so she sat on her bed for a long time and contemplated going down instead. She was anxious about it all and sent papers floating through the air on her breeze.

The last time she and Aasir had been in his office for anything serious was after she'd ran off at Christmas in the middle of the night. Aasir had thankfully calmed her down, made her see reason and return. The memory like many she had was as sharp and clear as day...

Aasir and Que had walked into the Professor's office together, and Charles notice Aasir was holding Que's hand.

"Good morning you two. I am glad you both returned safely, but seeing as it is after three o'clock, I'm afraid our conversation will have to wait until morning. Sleep well and we shall chat then." He had astonished both herself and Aasir, but they did chat the next day. The Professor talked about how they had a plan to keep her safe, and worrying was absolutely okay, but she needed to talk to him if she had any issues, and that was pretty much it. They didn't get into trouble or anything, but Que didn't think this meeting would have the same outcome.

She had talked to the Professor now and then, but she just didn't feel ready to really talk about anything anymore. Unaware to everyone else, even Aasir, Que frequently had nightmares about the dark entity in its enormous wolfish form lunging toward her with its glistening black teeth, and Doug getting impaled by one of the monster's spikes. The worse dreams though, were where her imagination took things to a whole other level. They ended with the bodies of all her friends all around, either impaled with spikes or with them being slowly devoured by the darkness that permeated the atmosphere around the creature while she watched in helpless terror.

She shivered at the thought, then closed her eyes and went back to trying to distract herself with other matters. The school dance was coming up as well as the Spring carnival in town. Those would be fun things, or at least good distractions.


	23. Chapter 2: Breakdown

**Chapter 2: Breakdown**

It seemed like only a few minutes later when Que heard a knock at her door.

"Hey Que? You in there? It's been a while. Are you good?"

It was Aasir. Que opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She was surprised to find it was dark in her room, and she realized she must have fallen asleep. Ugh, the thought of having to leave her room was nearly impossible. Leaving just meant she'd have to speak to people and do things in general. On the other hand if she decided to just not move, Aasir would most likely break down her door.

Que sat up, turned on her bedside lamp, and swung her feet around to the floor. Oh, that really smarted. Even with the snow boots still laced all the way up, her ankle was definitely not cooperating. She'd have to fix that ASAP.

"Que," Aasir repeated knocking more insistently this time. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah! Im fine. Give me a sec," Que replied, wading through the crap on the floor to her door. She might have let her space go just a bit. It seemed pointless to clean it when she knew she'd just find it a mess the following morning after a windy nightmare. She grabbed her flannel jacket from her desk chair on her way to the door, hoping it would cover some of the scrapes and bruises she'd received from the afternoon's fall.

"Hey Aasir, what's up?" Que said, emerging from her room and quickly closing her door.

Aasir eyed her quizzically. He'd seen her room earlier and knew it was a mess. "The Professor still want to see us. He instant messaged me just a few minutes ago, wondering where we were at. He expected us over two hours ago… I said I was waiting on you. What have you been doing?"

"Sorry, just fell asleep," she replied as they slowly headed towards the stairs.

"How's your ankle?" Aasir asked. He knew Que was still limping, but at least she was walking.

"It will be better by morning," she replied, avoiding his question.

"Alright then. Are you ready to get this over with? We have missed a good bit of class. I bet we get extra chores for a month." Aasir said glomily.

Que nodded but didn't reply. The whole skipping thing had been her idea, and she knew Aasir just did it to make sure she didn't do anything too reckless.

The pair silently continued to the elevator and down to the first floor. Once they got to the Professor's office, they heard, "Come join me in the kitchen you two. You're a bit late."

They turned and went to the kitchen, where they found the Professor sitting with a few other students eating a late dinner. As Aasir and Que walked in, the students remaining in the kitchen quickly cleaned up their dishes and shuffled out without glancing at the pair. Was it that obvious they were in trouble or was it possibly the fact that they were always in trouble?

"Have either of you eaten yet? There are some leftovers in the refrigerator if you'd like. Please get something and take a seat. I feel we may be a little bit," the Professor said, indicating the chairs left vacant around his table.

Aasir chose a simple sandwich, while Que heated up some spaghetti. The Professor casually waited, seemingly occupying himself with only his thoughts. Once they settled around with their food though, he continued.

"Aasir, Que. It should be fairly obvious why we are having this chat, but just in case it escaped your notice, this is a school where you are required to attend classes. Those were the expectations we set and agreed upon from day one. Now, as of late the two of you have taken it upon yourselves to redefine what education you need, or more appropriately, what you believe you could do without." He paused waiting for a response, and Charles wasn't disappointed as Que was the first to speak.

"Okay, so we've missed a couple classes. We'll do better. That good?" Que questioned nonchalantly, folding her arms and reclining in her chair. Aasir gave her and uncomfortable sideways look, trying to signal her to tone it down, but to no avail.

"Que, if I thought you meant what you just said for a second, then yes that would be all, but unfortunately that is not the case. Not only have you been skipping class, but your reckless behavior and attitude have many of your teachers, including myself, questioning what to do with you. Do you realize how far you and Aasir went today on you grand adventure through the woods? You were just barely inside the grounds, and sometimes you both go even further than today. If something serious happened, no one would be able to get to you both very quickly."

"So? Nothing happen we were f…" she started before Aasir cut her off.

"We are sorry Professor. We did not mean to worry you. I'll make sure we stay closer next time," Aasir apologize.

The Professor threw Aasir a very empathetic look.

 _Aasir, I know you care about Que, and I know your apology is sincere. I appreciate it, but we both know your behavior is not the problem. She is going to have to understand that her actions have consequences, including her attitude. You are a good friend to her Aasir, and in her own way she cares very deeply for you as well._

Aasir blushed, but did not reply out loud or otherwise.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Prof and Aasir. Want to let me in on the conversation?" Que interrupted, a slight breeze briefly fluttered the napkins in turn.

"Que, what I need you to understand is that I've seen your whole demeanor change the past few months since Christmas, and not for the better. I thought you needed some time to process what happened, and you'd come talk to me when you were ready. I think that was a mistake, and I'm sorry I've left you alone with the weight of the events for so long," the Professor conceded.

"I haven't come to you because there is nothing to discuss. I'm fine! Aasir will tell you. I haven't had any problems," Que said defensively, then looking to Aasir for confirmation.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause, before Aasir answered. "Well… the Professor's right Que. You have kind of shut me out, and things are not right. I mean, have you seen the state of your room? You use to always keep it so neat, or at least relatively sorted, and now… it always looks as if its been hit by a tornado."

Que looked quite taken aback. Her best friend had totally just sold her out! She was a little lost for words. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. They were supposed to get a few nights of extra homework or chores, promise to do better, and that would be it. End of story. The lights slightly flickered and the breeze in the kitchen became more constant. She felt like the pair of them had planned an intervention for her… She felt cornered, trapped.

Que couldn't tell if she was angry, surprised, upset, all of the above, or something else entirely. The onslaught of emotions was very intense and unexpected.

Before she could regain her thoughts, Charles, seeing her discomfort, continued.

"Now Que, Aasir and I care about you very much, and …" the Professor started but was cut off.

"I am fine! Can't you see? There is nothing wrong with me!" Que yelled, emphasizing each word. She had unconsciously risen from her seat with her fists clenched at her sides. Wind filled the kitchen and the lights flickered more rapidly.

Que glared at the Professor with his stupidly, calm face. All she wanted to do was jump over the table and break it. She couldn't stand him sitting there, judging her and what she felt! She wanted to shove him out of his chair and onto the floor. Then, maybe he'd feel just a small part of how she was feeling. Suddenly, she felt a warm wetness play at her eyes. Was she crying? leaking? What the hell? She was pissed, not sad. He knew nothing! With that, her anger grew and the energy in the room increased. She wanted to run, but as she glanced toward the door she heard, the Professor speak to her.

 _Look around you, Que. This is not fine._

The Professor glanced around at the kitchen, which was hedging closer to disaster in the ever growing wind and electrical issues. She refused to acknowledge his suggestion at first. What did she care? But then, she did, and the first thing she saw was Aasir's face, then the Professor's. She really looked this time too because what she saw there caught her off guard. Both of them had mirrored expressions of what looked to be… sadness? Why were they sad? They had no reason to be sad.

Next, she saw a face reflected in the window. It scared her. The eyes were hollow with deep bruises underneath, the hair was dirty and flying around in all directions like tendrils, and the look within the face, her face she realized, was what scared her the most. There was so much anger in her expression, but mixed with a little something else. Sadness? Fear? Pain? She almost didn't recognize herself, yet the girl reflected in the window reminded her of a time she thought she'd buried in the past.

She realized she was the reason they were sad. Her friends. They cared and didn't like to see her like this, whatever this was. She knew that, but then why did she feel this way? Why was she just so angry all the time?

She looked away and blinked hard, trying to force back the unrelenting tears that were streaming fully down her face now. The lighting went back to its original, dim glow, and the wind did not cease but died slightly. She felt shattered, like nothing would ever be able to fix her again. She continued to stand, shaking slightly, and starting into the floor. Somewhere her subconscious told her she should sit. Her ankle still hurt.

Aasir stood and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me," she said flatly, shrugging him off.

Images of her nightmares started filling her head. Dead Professor. Dead Raven. Dead Storm. Dead Aasir… She'd felt numb for so many months and all it took to tip her over the edge was being asked to go to class. Finally, Que slumped back down into her chair. How did this happen? What was wrong with her? She felt like she was losing her grip on reality.

Charles could plainly see Que struggling to regain control over her emotions, but the anger that had taken over her facade, slowly slipped away into something truly horrifying. Emptiness. Brokenness. Tears were still rolling down her face, but the emotions were gone from there. He still felt them underneath, and he knew Que's strong emotions ran quite rampant when she let them. Her anger had almost taken him for a moment, but now all he felt was immense pain and confusion. He could also feel her trying to smother these feeling. Slowly beating them back, but she was not succeeding as quickly as she would have liked.

"Que you need to let yourself feel. I feel your anger, pain, and anguish that you are trying to push back. They seem to have been blocked for some time, much longer than just Christmas, and now they are more intense with everything that has happened. We can help you. I know it hurts, and it's uncomfortable, but feeling these things is natural. Please, let us help you Que," the Professor said adjusting his chair closer to her.


	24. Chapter 3: Confessions

**Chapter 3: Confessions**

They sat there together for what seemed like an eternity in silence. Though she was still trying to find her voice, Que was no longer crying.

"Que?" the Professor finally ventured.

"I'm …" she responded before pausing.

"Don't say fine," Aasir quickly cut in before anyone else could speak. Que shot him a half-hearted "really?" look.

"No, I know. I am sorry," Que conceded, closing her eyes and putting her face in her hands. She felt miserable, completely and utterly miserable, and hopeless. She'd managed to shove her emotions back down, but it felt like at any moment they could break free and take hold of her again. Contrary to what the Professor had told her, feeling was not okay, didn't feel natural, and numbness was the preferable course of action.

"Que, things have been difficult and I understand that. I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but in the past, I have always let you chose to come see me. Now, with the way things have been and to help you get back on track with your studies, I would like for you to meet with a senior staff member, if not myself, at least every other day," the Professor said quietly, but with a serious tone.

"No, I don't… I can't… are you serious? I messed up, okay? I said I was sorry, and I promise I'll do better! I'm sorry! I'll do all my school work and go to class!" Que stammered, anxiety wreaking havoc on her brain. She didn't use to mind chatting with the Professor or the others. It often felt nice to have someone to talk to, but she couldn't share her thoughts and feelings this time. It made her sick just thinking about it. He'd think she'd completely lost it! Though, she wasn't sure that that assumption was too far off.

Aasir spoke up this time.

"Que, he is not just talking about class and the rules. He is here to help, so let him help you. Remember last year when we read The Giver? You can't just run, hide, or ignore your problems. It makes them worse in the end."

Though she knew he meant well and was probably right, anger flared inside Que again. Aasir and his literary geared brain. How could he sit there and so casually say that? Aasir knew a lot, but he didn't know her full life story.

"I'm not some coward Aasir! I don't hide or need help! I don't need anyone!" she retorted. At these sharp remarks, Aasir briefly opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it. He gave the Professor an apologetic look and got up. "Professor, may I be excused and meet with you in the morning about my missing work?"

"That will be fine Aasir. Goodnight," Charles said, giving the slightly dejected looking boy a small, encouraging smile.

After Aasir exited the kitchen, Charles turned back to Que, who was slouched back in her chair, looking extremely defensive.

Charles sighed, "That was a bit harsh Que."

"Whatever," Que huffed.

"Que…" Charles said but she continued in a more mocking tone, mumbling more to herself than to him.

"...let me help you. Running from your problems. Bleh bleh bleh. Don't need him."

Que was definitely angry with Aasir, and it made for a good distraction from the gaping hole of despair in her chest she was trying to patch over.

" _Que_ ," the Professor said again more sternly, just not out loud.

"Ugh, no," Que moaned letting her head hit the table and her arms fall to her sides.

"This isn't how you wanted this conversation to go, is it?" the Professor asked.

Que moved her head to the side so that her cheek was now pressed to the table. "No. Do I really need to meet with you guys?" she groaned, hoping for one last ditch effort at changing his mind.

"Yes, Que. You do. Just think of it as coaching. Making sure you're doing what you need to and that you have all the tools you need to be successful."

"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" she replied shortly, rolling her eyes.

"We always have choices, yet in this situation, I think your best bet might be to go with it and pick a preferred time for when you might want to check in. While your thinking, I am going to make some tea. Would you like some?" Charles asked trying to lighten the broody teen's mood.

He also figured she might appreciate some space as well. In the past half hour, he'd seen Que go from surly and defensive, to angry, then hysterical, crashing into hopelessness, to panic stricken, back to angry, and now back to anxiety mixed with defensive. If this were a test drive, he would have been granted a trip to the emergency room for severe whiplash. He glanced back at Que. She was still in the same place, but with her arms folded on the table and her head propped up on them. She had a cross look on her face as she continued to gaze ahead at nothing in particular. He could also hear her muttering to herself. That was new. He'd see her talk to herself before, but only when she was working on a project. It was one of her many quirks, like how she tended to talk obsessively about building things and was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to her favorite, magical book series.

Charles went ahead and prepped Que a cup just the way she use to like it when she first arrived at the mansion and they had evening chats. It felt like it had been ages since he had actually just sat and talked with the teen.

Once the tea finished brewing, Charles brought a tea tray back to the table. Que went silent as he approach and grabbed her cup as soon as the tray was set down. It was just a task. Something to keep busy. She poked at the handle some making it move in a slow circle, with a slightly annoying squeaking sound as it went.

"You know what I was just thinking about, Que?" the Professor asked casually.

Que gave him an odd look before replying, "No I do not. I'm not the mind reader here."

Charles gave a small laugh "I know Que. It was more a rhetorical question."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Aren't I still in trouble or what..." she asked, confused at the direction this conversation had taken.

"I've said all I really need to about that, and I think you have as well," he replied. "Have you chosen a time?"

Looking a bit put off by the question Que answered "Fine, after classes, before dinner." She wanted to make sure their time frame would be as short as she could get away with. Plus, she hoped things would come up in that time frame to make it almost impossible to meet. Classes ran late all the time, the Professor and the others probably had papers to review, and she wasn't the only one who ever got in trouble around here.

"Sounds like a plan. As I was saying, I realized that you have now been here almost a full year. You may not realize it, but you have come a long way since the first day we met you at your lighthouse," the Professor said.

"Hmm," Que replied, still more playing with her tea than drinking it.

"You could hardly walk around or sneeze without sending sparks and wind in your wake. You have also found you can manipulate the energy in multiple elements like fire and water. Plus, I think an even greater achievement than that, is that you are learning to trust and build real relationships with other people. You had so much mistrust when we met, and for the first three months you were here, you fought constantly with people and physically with Aasir for that matter," Charles said, lightly laughing.

Que did remember all of this and gave a small smile. It felt good to think back and know that she had made some progress, and maybe she wasn't quite as broken as she thought.

With the thought of Aasir, she frowned and sat up.

"I… he is still my friend. Isn't he? I was awful," she fretted.

"You will have to talk to him, and probably apologize yourself, but I think if he has put up with you this long, then yes you are," Charles replied, trying to keep it simple. Aasir was definitely head over heels for Que, and he was fairly sure Que felt the same. She just had not come to the same conclusion yet. Her intellectual knowledge might have been light years ahead of her peers, but her relational maturity was lacking.

" Que I want to make sure you keep making improvements and growing. I don't want to see you slide back into old habits, such as the outburst you had with Aasir and I. If you can share anything that's been going on, please. I may have the capability of reading your mind, but I will not invade your privacy. Thus, that also means if you want my help, you'll have to tell me because I really do not know what's going on," Charles said a little more compellingly.

Que knew this had been coming. For months now, she somehow knew she'd have to answer for her actions. The question irked and exasperated her all the same.

"What do you want me to say Professor? That I haven't really slept in months? That I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin? Or maybe it's that I'm so constantly angry that I can't stand myself?" she finally conceded.

"Well, that is a good place to start. Your not sleeping, we know has been a problem for a long time. We discussed that as a sign. When you are stressed, your nightmares tend to plague you more often. I thought they were easing up, but I hate to hear that they haven't gotten any better since Christmas. I wish you would have told me sooner. Feelings of anger and crawling out of your skin though are new. Can you elaborate?" Charles asked. He had a few ideas of what Que meant, but at the same time he wanted to see if she knew or could explain it herself.

Que stared at him blankly for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. What did she mean? All that she said was true, but how could she explain that?

"I don't know," she groaned slumping back down into her chair.

"Alright, Que. I understand. We can try again another time. We can call it a night, and you may go whenever you wish. I think I'll stay a little longer and finish my tea," Charles could see the teen was done, and she would not be providing more information tonight. So, they sat there in silence, yet Que didn't leave when released. She did however get up and reheat her cooled tea and sat back down with the Professor. He noted that she was favoring her right side. Then, he noticed she was wearing hiking boots, which was strange, even for Que. Aasir had hastily glossed over that there had been a slight accident this afternoon when he was trying to explain why they'd be a bit late. Que sipped at her tea more this time and gazed out the window.

"Que, Aasir mentioned an accident this afternoon. Are you alright? Also, you're not required to sit with me if you don't wish to. You know that, yes?" Charles asked somewhat perplexed.

"I just twisted my ankle a little. I'll talk to Jean in the morning if it's still bothering me," she said quietly and then paused, still gazing out into the dark garden beyond the window. "I don't want to be alone."


	25. Chapter 4: Back to Class

**Chapter 4: Back to Class**

Que woke the next morning feeling a little more physically rested that she had in awhile, but she felt completely drained of energy. Plus, her entire body ached from the fall the previous afternoon. She hadn't even bothered to change clothes when she got back from meeting with Professor Xavier. She managed to painstakingly take off her boots, flop onto her bed, and that was it.

Que laid completely still for a few more moments before remembering she had promised to actually go to class today. Ugh, why had she made that promise? She could hardly motivate herself to get out of bed, let alone go attempt to be social for the next five or so hours.

Begrudgingly, Que finally got up after another ten minutes of internal debate on the pros and cons of doing nothing. It was fifteen minutes until 8:00 AM, and she decided the clothes she had on would have to be fresh enough if she wanted to get any breakfast. She quickly brushed her teeth and hair and headed down stairs.

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Everyone's first class was at 8:15 AM, and it was already 8:05. Doug and Roberto were quickly scarfing down their last bits of frozen waffles, eggs, and toast, Amaya was cleaning off her and Tracy's plates to be put in the dishwasher, Sam was rushing out the door saying something about a book, and Peter was grabbing a few plastic cups from the cupboard, assumingly for the art class he taught. No other adults were bustling about the kitchen like most of the kids did. They were all probably in their respective rooms, ready, or getting ready, for a day full of classes.

Well, it was too late for her to back out now, Que thought. Avoiding the swarm of other pupils, she grabbed a jar of peanut butter out of side cupboard, some spare pieces of hopefully clean toast from a plate, and paper towels and a spoon off the counter. She shoved all the items in her packet, and headed to her first class of the day.

This semester Que had some of the same classes, but also some new ones. First period was biology with Hank, and second was training with Raven. Then she had thirty minute break which she usually used to either have some extra time on the grounds or continue sparing with the shapeshifter. At 11:00 AM, Que had a new class, art with Peter. The Professor had added it to her schedule last night and hoped it would be a good "self expression" outlet. It replaced her Spanish class that she had only been to maybe twice since January. She didn't see the point of attending a class when she had super computer that could translate almost any language, written or spoken, in real time. Art class was now followed by a brief lunch and an engineering elective run by Hank. This class was really in her wheelhouse and was probably the only one she attended somewhat regularly before. Hank was good at providing Que with a challenge, even when the other students were working on more minor, mundane projects. He had even let her make some improvements on the X-Jet. Lastly, Que had literature with Professor Xavier.

So, she had five classes this semester, not that the number really mattered since she and Aasir had skipped most of them before. She only shared two classes with Aasir this term too, biology and training. His schedule had been rearranged as well. He was moved into a more advanced group of students for literature, or maybe Que was moved lower. Plus, he still had to mathematics courses and was currently in Geometry. Aasir absolutely hated math, and it was the first class he more than willingly skipped to hang out with Que. She knew she'd have to help him get caught up though. Math was easy to her, like breathing or the way literature was for Aasir.

When she arrived in the Biology lab, she spotted Aasir about midway back shuffling through a stack of papers on his desk. There was a stack equally as thick adjacent to him, so Que headed toward that seat in hopes that he might have forgotten the whole incident of last night.

"Morning Aasir," Que said quietly as she slid into the adjacent desk.

"Morning," he replied still half trying to organize the mess on his desk. "Those are the notes and topics we have missed. Mr. McCoy was kind enough to make us copies of just the important sections, so we won't have to go back too far."

He still hadn't looked at her, so she figured he was still a bit peeved.

"Hey, so I'm real sorry about… last night you know," she said awkwardly.

He finally threw her a side glance, so she continued.

"I was mean. I didn't mean what I said and I'm sorry. I do need you. You are my best friend. Probably my only friend, so there I said it. Okay? Can things go back to normal?"

"Normal is not a common term for anything around here," Aasir finally said. "But I guess we can go on with some semblance of normalcy. For the children's sake." He crossed his hand on his chest in an exaggerated fashion at this last part.

Que took it as a good sign. "Great, so what are we even covering in here?"

The class continued on as if nothing had changed. Que knew she didn't deserve a friend like Aasir. He was always beyond kind and forgiving to her, and she was pretty sure if it wasn't for him, she would either be dead or out on the road somewhere alone.

As the class ended and the pair packed up their thing, Que gingerly got to her feet.

"By the way, how are you feeling today?" Aasir asked.

"Eh like I've been run over, but I'll live. I think I may have some bruised ribs, and my ankle isn't quite as puffy. I'll be fine in training if that's what you're worried about. Don't you dare go easy Aasir!"

The pair laughed and headed down to the danger room.

Raven was already cleaned up from her last session and looked like she was ready for some real action when Aasir and Que's group came in. The training class consisted of Que, Aasir, Paige, Alisa, Manuel, and Jonas.

Raven centered herself in the danger room and motioned for the young mutants to join her. "Okay you guys. Today, our objective is to travel as a group from point A to point B. We have run this simulation a few times with little success, and as some of you have noticed, and we have some new players in this simulation. There are not many things playing in our favor today, but either way, situations such as this will never be ideal. Your biggest strength and way to accomplish your task will be to rely on each other. Using one another's strengths and abilities to the benefit of the team. Are there any questions?"

Most everyone shook their heads, and the other four who had done this before looked less than enthused Que noticed. Que didn't know a whole lot about her teammates, considering she'd only trained with them a limited amount of time and usually without powers. She didn't have a clue how they were all supposed to work with one another without at least establishing what each of them could do.

The room shimmered as the holographic panels shifted into rocky terrain and the group of six were suddenly standing on the edge of a mountain face. Ropes and an assortment of climbing gear for each member of the team appeared. Suddenly, voice echoed against the mountain face "You must reach the top together. If only one of you makes it, you lose. If half the group makes it, you lose. If all but one make it, you lose. You all must make to to the top together."

Paige was the first one to speak "Alight you guys. We need to start climbing." She sounded all but enthused.

Aasir glanced at the original team of four. "Why are you guys so bummed? We're just climbing a rock. What more is there to it?" he asked them.

Jonas responded this time "Something always goes wrong. You'll see." he said in a raspy, dreary voice. As the team hooked themselves up Que watched the other intently.

"You guys are not strapping in properly," she said to the others. They all stared at her blankly, even Aasir. "This is how we do it for rock climbing at the…" Manuel started before cut in again. "That doesn't matter. This is a fairly sheer, rock face. It is different. I think the easiest way, since most of you don't have a lot of experience is to set up an anchor maybe 10ft up at a time. I can start us up with an anchors, and we can go in pairs. Paige, once I set it you will come next and join me then I'll go set the next one while Manual starts up. Once he reaches you, then you join me and he waits on Alisa, and then up an on after Jonas and Aasir. You guys have to make sure you jam your feet and hands into the crevasse the best you can to stay on. Your teammate can stop you from falling too far if you slip, but it still is not a pleasant experience," Que instructed.

"You're talking to us like we haven't done this repeatedly for weeks, while you guys have been galavanting off from class! We know what falling is like, and I told you regardless of what we do, something always goes wrong," Jonas said testily.

"Hey, I'm just trying to…" Que started angrily before Aasir cut in.

"Well, we will just have to try our best regardless. Is everybody harnessed in and all the ropes are tight? Maybe we should check each others just to make sure?" He stepped in between Jonas and Que for good measure and checked Que's harness, and she checked his.

"You could always just fly to the top Aasir," Que commented.

"I could, but we are supposed to go together and, even though I can turn into some fairly large birds, I wouldn't be able to help a whole lot if someone fell. Besides, we all need a partner. Also, why did you put me last?" he asked.

"Because you can fly the rest of the way if needed," Que said smirking.

With that Que started up the rocky face with the climbing equipment. It had been a while since she had done this sort of thing and found her arms a bit shaky as she put in the first anchor. She blinked and suddenly Que was no longer on a dust rock face with her comrades fifteen feet below, but on a sheer ice slope with what looked like nothing but hundreds of feet of snowy blurr below. Que gasped, blinked again, and she was back with her friends.

Manuel, who hadn't said a word and looked somewhat sick since Que and Aasir had come in, was the only one who noticed Que's pause. "Why'd you stop?"

"I… Umm… I was just catching my breath. Gotta be ready for the rest of the way. Paige I'm ready for you to join me. Just try to use the same holds I did. They are not too difficult to get to." Que called down.

Paige started up and met Que without a problem, and Que headed up the face as the others made their way up too. Manuel seemed to be the only one struggling to climb the cliff, and ended up needing assistance from Jonas to continue on. Que kept going but had to pause and grip the wall tight every now and then, as the high wail from the icy cliff face winds echoed through her brain growing louder and louder as she climbed. She had broken out into a cold sweat and her arms ached as she approached the last twenty feet of their climb.

The others were beginning to look worse for ware. Paige had peeled her hands, revealing a grey, thick, callused skin. Jonas and Alisa were still going fairly strong, but they glistened with the sweat of their effort. Aasir ended up trading positions with Jonas to help Manuel, who looked more than a little green as he approached the third anchor.

As Que put in the second to last anchor, the mountain side rumbled.

"Look out you guys! This is what happened last time too! We got close, and Jonas and Alisa fell because of the rumble, and we had to stop."

The shaking continued, and it took everything for Aasir and Manuel to stay on the rock. Que, on the other hand, was no longer there.


	26. Chapter 5: Friend or Foe

**Chapter 5: Friend or Foe**

The icy blast stung as Que clung to the cliff. Her climbing gear had several tears in it and her boots were not helping her as much as she'd have liked either.

She and Biel had just barely escaped capture after their mission had gone horribly wrong. Now they had to reach the top of the mountain above the chasm where they had been almost torn apart or eaten alive by some sort of demons from another realm. Stealing a mythical tabet from where it had been guarded for centuries was not the most ideal mission. How could she have been so arrogant as to think she and Biel could do it with no back up? She just prayed they'd be able to climb high enough contact the base. The temple they'd just escaped had some sort of disruption field around it. The signal on her satellite beacon had gone up a bar but was still not strong enough to contact anyone further than a couple hundred miles.

Biel was more worse for ware than Que. One of the demons had slashed his side, and he was bleeding through his bandages.

As Que looked down toward Biel, she spotted a couple of blurry shadows down past him. They were moving in and moving in fast. The demons. They'd followed them.

"Que…" Biel called from below. "Que!"

Physically, Que hadn't moved an inch since the mountain side started to shake. She was still roughly thirty feet above her comrades and fifteen from the top.

Manuel and Aasir were able to catch up to the Alisa and Jonas, who had found a narrow ledge to stand on during the violent quake.

"Que," Manuel radioed over their com links. "Que! Are you alright?"

He tried again shouting to her, but she didn't respond and stayed frozen in place.

"What's going on? Que!" Aasir tried before turning to Manuel. "Is something is wrong? Manuel? What is it?" Aasir asked anxiously noticing Manuel's sick expression. He'd had it the entire time they had been in the arena, but something had changed. A pained expression crossed his sickly pale face.

"I… I don't know what Que is thinking about but…" he started before wincing in pain. He took several deep breaths to steady himself.

"Manuel can feel and influence the emotions of those around him," Alisa explained. "Manuel what is wrong with Que?"

"I'm not sure, but she needs our help. I feel… panic? Umm… something else. I don't know. I wasn't sure who it was coming from at first, but I've felt sick since the mountains appeared. I'm sorry I should have mentioned it earlier," Manuel pleaded.

"Paige has almost reached her. I'm going to join her to see if I can help. You three stay here," Aasir instructed. "Manuel, can you switch lines with me?"

"Aasir, please let me go. You may be able to turn into birds and whatever else you want, but I think… I think I'll be able to help more. I know you guys are really tight, but if she is panicking, she'll need more than a furry friend," Manuel explained.

Aasir paused, slightly panicked himself, he didn't know what to do.

"You're right. We'll both go. The mountain doesn't seem to be shaking as bad, and I can at least help you climb up," Aasir agreed.

"Actually, I think we all need to start climbing again," Jonas interceeded. "We have to all get to the top. You two can go help Que, and the rest of us will get to the top to see if we can do anything more from there."

The group switch around lines, and updated Paige of their plan via their com link. Paige had taken a break on a ledge only ten feet away from Que. Paige would go first to meet Que and the two boys would join her as soon as possible.

As the group split and resumed climbing, the mountain ceased to shake. Paige was almost to Que, when Que turned toward her. Her gaze looked far off.

"Biel, the signal isn't strong enough," Que said. She was speaking to Paige, but she was confused as to what Que was talking about. Had Que forgotten her name?

"Que, are you okay? What are you talking about? We are really close to the top. Come on," Paige replied. Aasir and Manuel moved closer and were six feet below them. Que glanced in their direction and her eyes grew wide.

"Biel you need to go! They followed us!" Que said in a rush as she pushed Paige to climb.

"You need to get to the top and signal for help! Hurry! They are coming! I'll try and hold them off!" she continued to shout. Que was breathing heavily as she positioned herself on the mountain to face the boys.

"Que? No! What are you doing!" Paige yelled back, trying to grab one of Que's arms.

Wind swirled around the pair and electricity started to crackle around the girls.

"Raven? Can you hear me? Somethings wrong with Que! We need to stop!" Paige called over their com links as she fought to stay on the rock face against the wind. The boys below were fairing a lot worse, and the other half of their team had to stop as well.

Suddenly, the entire team was standing in the danger room arena. Que still looked distant and moved herself in between Paige and the rest of the group, anger etched on her face.

"Paige, what's going…" Raven called from the center dome at the top of the Danger Room, but she stopped when Que sent a streak of lighting toward Aasir and Manuel. Que was attacking them! Thankfully, the boys were able to dodge the blast by mere inches.

"Que! Stop!" Raven called. Jonas and Alisa ran over to help Manuel and Aasir, but just as they reached them, they had to all dive for cover. Que released two more bolts of lighting in their direction and the floor began to shake. Several wind gust blasted all of them in multiple directions.

Paige watched Que in horror.

"Que stop!" she yelled shaking the back of Que's shoulders. Que easily brushed her off, turned wild eyed, and created a giant wall of electric current between the two.

"Run! Biel! Run!" she shouted to Paige. Que took up a defensive feral stance as she prepared for another attack, blasting more wind forward.

Raven watched in stunned horror at the scene. The Danger Room was now divided by a giant wall of electric current, Paige was stuck on one side with the exit door, and the others were sprawled out in various places on the other with Que standing at the ready to attack again. They needed help fast.

Upstairs, Professor Xavier was in the middle of a lecture with some of his more advanced students.

 _"Charles! We need you and possibly the other in the Danger Room!"_ Professor Xavier heard.

 _"On my way,"_ he replied then turning to his students "Class dismissed!"

Through this he saw through Raven's eyes the disaster unfolding in the Danger Room. He contacted the others as he wheeled to the elevator. Storm was already there holding open the elevator for him. Peter rushed in just as the doors closed.

"What's going on Professor?" Storm asked as the doors closed.

Back in the Danger Room, Raven had set the machines to go after Que, in hopes of directing her attention away from Aasir, Jonas, Manuel, and Alisa. The four were holding out well on their own, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"We can't keep avoiding her forever! We need to go on offense Aasir!" Jonas shouted as he dodged another lighting blast.

"I think I have an idea," Manuel said as the three boys and Alisa divided behind a barrier Raven had just activated.

"I need you to get me as close to Que as possible. If I am able to touch her, I might be able to stop her," Manuel explained.

Aasir looked worried, but Alisa cut in before he could protest.

"It's all we've got. You know Que will be more upset if she hurts one of us once she realizes what's happened."

Aasir nodded "Okay, Jonas, if you and I can distract her, Alisa can try and get Manuel closer."

With that the team split. "Hey Que! Over here!" Aasir called, running toward the left side of the electric barrier. He phased into a panther and picked up speed as powerful gusts of wind were pelted in his direction. Jonas hoped on top of the metal box they'd hidden behind and started in the same direction, only he launched himself to a higher ledged along the wall.

With Que distracted, Alisa grabbed Manuel's arm and the pair slowly disappeared, blending in with the background.

"Don't let go of me until we get close enough," Alisa whispered.

They ran around the right edge of the arena dodging stray streaks of lightning as they went. Just before they reached Que, the exit door slide open and Peter, Storm, and Scott hurried in.Que whirled around in a frenzy and searched for Paige who was running toward them.

"No! Don't!" Que screamed. The electric wall fell, and she started toward the older X-Men. It was the perfect distraction Manuel and Alisa needed. Manuel let go of Alisa and grabbed Que by the arm. Que shrieked in surprise and tried to put alway, fear irradiating from her body.

Manuel looked her square in the eyes and spoke "Que you are fine. You are calm."

The winds died some, but Que was still trying to pull away from his grasp. The tan teen held firm and repeated "Que, you are fine. You are calm."

This time Que stopped struggling, her breathing slowed, and she blinked hard several times. The whole room and stopped and was now watching in silence.

"Manuel?" Que said in horse, confused voice. "What…" she looked around.

"Why is everyone…" she couldn't understand what was happening.

The Professor's voice rang out over the intercom from above "Manuel, thank you. Will you please walk Que out to the infirmary? Everyone else, please head back upstairs to rest and eat if you need to. Do not worry about your afternoon classes."

Everyone headed out with Que and Manuel being last.


	27. Chapter 6: Reality Check

**Chapter 6: Reality Check**

Manuel kept a firm grip on Que's arm in case she lost it again, but he didn't think that would happen. All he felt was confusion and exhaustion. He had no idea what had happened.

He and Que met the Professor in the infirmary. Storm had joined them as well, and Manuel helped Que to one of the infirmary beds.

"Thank you Manuel. I will check in with you and the others later. Nice job today. You were quick to help your comrades in need," the Professor said dismissing him.

Once Manuel had left, Charles turned to Que. She looked dazed and confused.

"Que, do you know what happened?" he asked.

She did not seem as though she heard him and continued to have a dazed, far away look in her eyes. He tried again.

 _"Que, can you hear me?"_ he mentally prompted. _"Do you know where you are?"_

Slowly, Que glanced up and stared at the adults for long moment. She opened her mouth, drew in a breath to answer, but then she looked away, brow furrowed. Her face had a vacant look and her eyes were far off. Que's mind seemed to still be somewhere else, somewhere far from the Institute, and much less pleasant.

"Que," the Professor said, reaching and taking one of Que's hands. At his touch, Que gasp slightly, her eyes snapped back into focus, and she shook slightly. She looked around wildly and still confused, but her expression was mix with anxiety and fear.

"Que, stay with me. I need you to focus. Can you feel my hands? We are in the infirmary at the institute," the Professor explained. He squeezed her hands gently a few times.

"Professor?" Que said quietly. She seemed to calm down a little, but still seemed anxious and confused.

"Why… how did I get here?" she asked.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Charles asked.

"I am not sure… I…" Que said her brow furrowed again. Her gaze started to slip again.

"Que, stay with me. Feel my hands. I need you to stay with me. What do you remember?" Charles asked.

"I remember… no… that's not right," she said somewhat to herself. "I don't know. It's all really confusing."

"Has anything like this ever happened before Que?" Charles asked, still gently pressing her hands. He didn't want her to slip back into whatever memory had just plagued her.

"Umm… I am not sure. Maybe… a few years ago. I can't remember. What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"Que, you just had a pretty severe episode with your powers in the Danger Room. You didn't seem to realize where you were or who you were with," Charles explained.

"What? No, that can't be right. I… I didn't go there," she replied slightly defensively.

"Que, who is Biel?" Charles asked. He had gleaned what he could from the others memories in the Danger Room, especially Paige and Manuel.

Que's eyes grew wide. "What?"

She would have sworn he had read her mind. She had just been thinking about Biel. There was no way he could have know about him unless she'd told him herself.

"You attacked your teammates in the Danger Room in attempts to protect Paige. You thought she was someone named Biel," the Professor continued.

"Is what you remember something about him?"

Que put her head into her hands. "Biel was… an old teammate," she admitted.

"Can you tell me about what you remember?" Charles probed.

"Biel and I… we were on a mission. It went wrong, and we were captured, but we escaped…" she said in a whisper.

"We were there to steal some sort of tablet. The monks in the temple… they wanted to set an example. We were beaten, but we still got away. They released demons from another realm to come after us," Que went silent as she slipped again, rocking slightly in her chair.

"That must have been very scary. Que try to focus on my voice. Let's see if you can stay in the room with us. Can you look at Storm? That's it," the Professor said calmly. Storm looked both fascinated and sad. She never realized what haunted Que's nightmares.

"We barely escaped with our lives. We climbed… it was so cold. My arms burned. They were after us," Que started again, rubbing her arms.

"Oh Professor, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt anyone? I don't even remember doing... I swear I… I…" she fretted.

"No one was injured," he assured her. "They are actually more concerned about you at the moment, but please can you continue your story?"

Que looked at him perplexed. Why did he want to know more?

"Que the hope is that by exposure, or talking about it, will help you be less prone to something like this happening again. Have you ever talk to anyone about your time with this group?" he asked.

"Aside from what I've told you previously? Of course not," Que said more matter-o-factly than she had been since they came in. A bit more of her usual fire had returned to her eyes as well. Charles let go of Que's hands and sat back expectantly. There was a reason Que had never told anyone. It was very uncomfortable. The memories were not just unpleasant but quite painful too.

"Que, I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think it would help you," the Professor said gently.

"We were able to make it to the top of the mountain and set up the emergency pick up, but Biel had been hurt pretty badly and was bleeding. One of the creatures had snagged his shoulder back at the temple. Thinking back, I don't really know how he made it to the top. Then, the demons started coming up. We fought. He was behind me. I didn't know how we'd make it out. No matter how many we set flying over the edge, two more would appear. I heard a scream…" Que's voice broke and she stopped speaking.

There was a pause, and Storm moved to sit by Que on the infirmary bed. She and Charles could assume what had happened, but it was still difficult for Que to say.

"They... got him. T-t-tore him open before I could…" Que started slipping back into the memory, but before she could the Professor spoke up.

"Were you and Biel very close? Can you tell me about him?" Charles asked.

"Biel and I were teammates. He was fifteen or so at the time, and I was eleven. All of us on the team shared something... I guess. Biel could generate impact-resistant shields, but he was more a defense member of our team. I don't know how they picked him up. He wasn't big and strong, and he was bright but nothing exceptional. He was just a gentle teen from Andorra, but maybe the faction had something on him or he could do something we didn't know about or maybe they just needed someone to offset some of the more… distinct personalities," she trailed off in thought this time. Charles noted how sad and pained her expression had become.

"They killed Biel… I was so... angry. The whole mountain side was shaking, and I was able to… to do things I usually can't do. I took his body back to the temple. The entire mountainside seemed to move at my every whim. I blacked out before I got there. I can't remember what happened, but after I was kneeling among fiery debris on the side of the mountain and being picked up by one of our jets. I still had Biel's body in my arms," Que choked out quietly.

With this, she laid down on her side, clutching her knees to her chest. Her breathing got a little more labored and she scrunched her her tight, trying to block the memory. Not only had she gotten her teammate killed because of her arrogance, but she was fairly certain, even though she had no memory of it, she'd killed all the people in the temple on the mountain. All she could think about or see now was the fiery remains and Biel's lifeless body.

With that, the two adults felt the room temperature drop about twenty degrees and were able to see their breath.

"Que," Charles said, gripping her hands again and brushing some hair away from her face. "Look at me. Take some deep breaths. That's it. I think it would be best if we took a break and you got some rest. May I assist?"

Que nodded and Charles helped her find a lighter corner of memories.


	28. Chapter 7: School, Take Two

**Chapter 7: School, Take Two**

The memory Charles had come upon when help Que was very curious. He had never seen it before. Que was maybe three or four years old. It was evening time, and she was sitting in the lap of a boy who looked to be in his late teens. It looked to be later in the evening, and tiny Que was wearing a light blue shirt covered in tiny puppies and red, cotton, race car pajama shorts. They were reading a book together.

 _"Alright Lainey, this part is yours," the boy said._ _"Benny! My name is Que! You heard Mr. Martin. I shall invent a flying car one day!" Que responded dramatically, but still smiling up at the boy._ _"Alright, Quuue. It's still your turn," he said, pointing to the page._ _"What if I was a crocodile? Grrr!" Que growled._ _Benny continued "I'd hug you close and tight, and tuck you in your bed each night."_ _Que responded "Does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it? Stick it? Does it mend?"_ _"Oh help, I'm not that clever. I just know, I'll love you forever." Benny said hugging Que tight and tickling her sides. Que fell into a fit of laughter. She swatted at his hands and continued reading once she stopped giggling._ _"What about when we're dead and gone? Would you love me then? Does love go on?"_ _Benny sighed "Small, look at the stars. How they shine and glow. Some of those stars dies a long time ago. Still they shine in the evening skies. Love, like star light, never dies."_ _The pair were silent for a few moments._ _"Benny?"_ _"What Lainey?" he said before she gave him a squinting look. "Oh I mean, what is it Que? You're incorrigible sometimes. You know that right?"_ _Que ignored his question. "Is the book true?"_ _"What part?" he asked._ _"Love? Does it really never die?" she asked more solemnly._ _Benny was silent for a moment. "I think so Que."_ _"Mmm, so you think even though my family is gone, they still love me?" she asked._ _"Yes, I do, and for the record, we may not be blood, but I'll always consider you my sister. I love you very much Que." he said hugging her._ _"I love you too Benny. Hey Benny, I can make stars too you know," Que said. Benny looked puzzled._ _"Here, watch," she said. Suddenly, the whole room was filled with tiny floating orbs of light._

The memory had faded at this and left Charles with many questions and a deep ache and care for the boy he'd seen. He had seen this boy, Benny, only a few times in some of Que's old memories. Charles felt he was someone very special to Que. He also noted, Benny had called Que, Lainey, which he guessed was her original given name.

The Professor had Que spend the next few days in the infirmary. She was never alone though. There was always a senior staff member present. They helped her with the classwork she had been missing, had meals with her, and played some games or attempted to. Que felt quite empty and lacked a lot of energy to do much. The Professor was always there in the evenings, and he and Que would chat. She hadn't been able to show him the memory of Biel, but they discussed different things about him and his death.

"What do you feel when you think about that memory?" he had asked her.

"What do you mean? Sad and angry I guess," she had responded.

"Who do you hold responsible for Biel's death?"

Que had gone silent at this question. She hadn't given him an answer and he asked her to think about it for next time. She didn't know if she could bare to tell him the truth. She was responsible for Biel's death.

Once Que had been released from the infirmary, she continued with classes except for the daily training sessions in the training room. The Professor thought that class would be best put on hold for the time being, and she could train one on one with Storm for a while. Que hated being singled out again. Even though everyone had been more than understanding, she couldn't help notice the uneasy and fearful side glances her peers were giving her when they thought she wasn't looking. The only people who continued to treat her as they always did was, of course Aasir, and surprisingly Manuel and Paige. Jonas, who had always been a bit jumpy around her, was doing everything he could to avoid her. If she ever entered the same room and him, he'd quickly grab his things and leave.

It was just after art class when Paige ran up behind her.

"Hey Que, you have a free period coming up, right?" she asked.

"Yeah lunch, why?" Que asked.

"We have been working on solving systems of equations in math, and I just don't get it. Can you help me?" she asked.

"Isn't your math class next?" Que asked confused. Paige had a later lunch schedule than Que.

"Usually yeah, but Scott had an errand to run, so he canceled class. We have a test next Friday, and I just don't get it," Paige explained.

"Umm, sure I guess I can try. Math doesn't work for me the same as it does you. Typically, I can just see it. I don't know if I can break it down, but I'll try," Que said unsure.

"That's all I'm asking for! Hey, can we do it in the kitchen and grab some lunch? I woke up late and didn't get breakfast," Paige pleaded.

The pair headed down to the kitchen, and it took her a little bit of time to figure out how to explain it, but she and Paige managed to get through the study guide, and Paige was able to do a few completely by herself too. Once finished, Que agreed to help her every afternoon she could, right after dinner.

Three weeks later, things were going as smoothly as could be expected around the mansion. Que wasn't cutting classes nearly as much as she had been, and was helping Paige a few times each week with her math. She liked Paige. Paige had a pretty good sense of humor and wasn't as hopeless at math as she thought. Aasir was content to hanging out with Que at lunch and

After classes that day, Que headed to kitchen to grab her snack before meeting with the Professor. She had his class last and he assured her he'd meet her there shortly. As she got to his office, she could see him already there putting away some papers while he waited on her.

"Hello Que. How were classes today? I noticed, you have caught up in The Glass Castle. Are you enjoying it?" he asked.

"Eh, it's alright," she shrugged.

Charles knew it took Que a bit to warm up. Their meetings always started off this way, half answers and a lot of silence.

"I'm helping Paige in math. It must be terribly tedious for all of you to have to do," she continued.

"That's very kind of you Que. I'm sure she is very appreciative of your help. Well, we don't have much time before dinner today. Have you thought any more about my question?" he asked.

"Which one?" Que asked, though she knew perfectly well what he was talking about. It was one of the first he'd ask her every time she'd come in. It was quite annoying, and she'd typically respond with I don't know, skip to talking about something else, or say nothing at all.

"Who do you hold responsible for Biel's death?"

Que sat silently. She just wished he'd stop asking. Why was it important?

"I…," she stopped, angry and conflicted.

"I am," she said, deadpan.

"What? Can you explain please?" he asked, a little surprised she had answered him.

"What do you mean explain! I killed him! It was my fault! What more do you want!" she exploded. Papers flew from the Professor's desk and a lamp fell. Que stood up angrily and shoved the side table and all its contents over.

"Que," the Professor said in a calm, stern voice. "Have a seat please and calm yourself."

"Maybe I don't want to be calm! You sit there… trying to… argh! Maybe I want to be like this all the time because this is who I really am!" she continued to shout at him.

"Who are you then?" Charles asked, still calm. He knew she'd wear herself out of shouting, and she was finally saying something that might actually help her.

"I am a monster! I shouldn't even be here! I should have left months ago or never come at all. Progress or not. I am not the sort of person that should… I mean don't you see? I wasn't meant to be with other people!" she shouted.

"Que, that is not…," the Professor started but Que cut him off and continued.

"Yes, it is. You know I'm dangerous just with my abilities alone! On top of that, I was groomed to be a monster! I was specially trained to cripple and take out corporate infrastructures, physically break into anywhere I want, and take out anyone who stands in my way! I lacked real outside contact for almost six years! I'm dangerous and attract dangerous people and or beings in my wake. I'm pretty screwed up, and there is nothing anyone can do to fix me! How could you possibly think someone like me could ever deserve to be here?"

"Are you finished?" he asked with a serious look.

Que just stood where she had been, still angry and avoiding his gaze. He gestured for her to have a seat.

She huffed and went back to her chair.

"You will clean that up before you leave please," Charles said glancing at the side table. "Que, let me make sure I understand what you said correctly. I will shorten it to a list. You hold yourself responsible for Biel's death, you are a homicidal monster ready to take down the world, you do not belong here, and you're just angry. Did I get everything?" he asked.

Some of the anger in Que's face faded. She looked away, uneasy.

"Well, if all that is true, you might as well pack your things then right? Call it quits?" Charles asked her.

"Yes," she said defeatedly.

"You're very luck then because all of that is a load of crap!" he said.

"Que, look at me. I need you to hear this. Look at me," he commanded again more firmly.

Que looked up. She was taken aback by the Professor's bluntness.

"I won't lie to you and tell you you're perfect. You've got a lot of work ahead of you, and your upbringing was not ideal, but we've all had our trials, Que, and we will continue having them. Your past may have influenced you, but it does not define who you are. It will only control what you let it control. What you feel is guilt and shame over your past," the Professor said, passionately.

Que was in slight shock at his words and didn't know what to say, so the Professor continued.

"So let's start there. Why do you think you are responsible for Biel's death?"

"I just am. I was his superior officer. I chose for just us to go. I was arrogant, and my arrogance got him killed," she responded.

"You were a child," he said simply.

"I wasn't really. They made sure to stripe us of that notion as soon as we got there. It doesn't matter anyway!" she said defiantly.

"Does it not? You were not only a child, but one who had suffered a great deal of loss and neglect. You know a lot, but that does not mean you're an adult, even now. Think. Who told you you could handle it and sent you on that mission? Who let you and Biel go alone? They may have trained and taught you, but you were a pawn. Biel's death is not on you my friend," he said, still serious.

His words made logical sense, but Que was struggling to process them. They sat in silence. Her eyes felt damp, but she couldn't quite understand why she was crying. She wasn't sure if she was sad or relieved or somewhere in between.

The Professor put his hand on her shoulder.

"Que can you show me what you remember of Biel?" he asked.

She nodded. She showed him the war room she and Biel planned in for the mission, the trip to the temple, then how the devastating events of the mission unfolded, leading up to her blackout and waking back up in the dismembered temple with Biel's lifeless body in her arms. As they watched her memories this time, it was as if she and the Professor were spectators on the sidelines. He still held Que's shoulder only he was standing. Que found it interesting that in here, he could stand and even walk. It must quite be freeing for him, she briefly thought.

As they stood in the remains of the smoldering temple, the Professor spoke up.

"Que, you need let go of this guilt and shame, not only over Biel, but for everything the faction had you do. You were a child being used and abused. They were the monsters, not you. You were the child who tried her very best to save you both. You were the one who mourned over losing her comrade and friend. The people who sent you did neither."

As she a the Professor stood there, she felt different. It was still as painful as it had ever been, maybe even more so, but she felt… lighter? Maybe with time, the weight would lift completely she thought.

"I am ready to go now," Que said.

Then she and the Professor were back sitting in his office. He in his chair and she across from him in hers.

"You do belong here Que," he said


	29. Chapter 8: An Old Friend

**Chapter 8: An Old Friend**

Needless to say, they were late to dinner that night, and Que for once felt somewhat better. She ate more than she had in months too.

She met up with Aasir after tutoring Paige. Aasir had asked her to meet him out on the roof again now that it had gotten warmer. They enjoyed gazing at the stars when the evenings were clear and warm enough.

Once she got to her room, she opened the window and climbed out beyond the sill. Her room was quite conveniently placed on the corner of the build. She had the trellis and vines to climb down and there were drains that helped her scale up to the roof. Aasir typically went up to the attic and climbed out the window there, but Que thought this was more fun and discrete.

There was a flat patch of roof where they always met. Aasir was already there, had set up the telescope, and laid out a blanket for them to lay on.

"Hey Que," he called to her as she peeked over the edge.

"Hey, you're early. See anything interesting tonight?" she asked casually and glancing into the telescope to take a quick look at the stars.

"Not really, although I did see a small meteor. I heard we might see a small shower tonight," he replied still gazing skyward.

Que got bored of looking and sat down next to Aasir.

"I noticed you and the Professor were a bit late to dinner tonight. Did everything go alright?" he asked.

Aasir was always pretty good about not pestering Que about her meetings with the Professor. He'd ask occasionally how things were going and let the conversation drop if needed.

"Depends on your definition of alright," Que said pausing. Aasir didn't question her, but waited to see if she would continue.

"We… got into some topics that were… not very comfortable. I may have gotten a bit carried away and shoved the side table over. He just looked at me and said I'd be cleaning it up," she replied, slightly embarrassed.

At this Aasir tried to suppress a laugh, but he was not successful.

"Aasir!" Que whined.

"Oh man! I'm sorry," he said in between laughs. "Just picturing you angrily tipping over a table, then Prof just staring at you, telling you to clean it up. It's comical."

Que cracked a smile and shoved him playfully. "Okay, thinking back, maybe it is a bit funny. I mean, I'm glad I didn't break it. He probably would have make me mend it in the shop classroom. That would have been so embarrassing!"

Aasir's laughter finally subsided and they laid in peaceful silence, watching the sky.

"Oh look Aasir! Did you see it?" Que said pointing east. She'd seen a meteor streak across.

"Aww man, I mi…" Aasir stopped as he saw another and then another. "Oh, Que look! Wow! Should we record it?"

"Definitely!" she said. She pulled a small half globe and set it behind them on the roof's edge.

"Done," she said tapping a few buttons on her watch as a green light on the globe turned to red.

"This is awesome Aasir. I'm really glad it was nice enough to come up here tonight," Que said laying back down close beside him. Out of all the other students at the mansion, Aasir was by far her best friend. He made her feel… happy, and he could make her smile just by entering a room. She felt so comfortable with him, like she didn't have to hide who she really was.

The air had gotten a little cooler. His side was warm against hers, and she scooted closer. Thankfully, he didn't mind and leaned in too. They gazed up at the starlit sky for what seemed like ages, and Que wished for the briefest of moments that they could just stay like this forever.

Assir shifted slightly and propped himself up on an elbow facing Que.

"Hey Que?" he asked, his voice a little strained.

"What?" she asked.

"You know I've been… thinking and…" he hesitated.

"Oooh thinking, that can be quite dangerous you know," she teased, still gazing skyward.

"Yeah, well I've been thinking, and you know… there is the umm… Spring dance coming up," he said nervously.

"Oh Aasir, is Tracy harassing you about it again? I can fix that, you know? Just said the word," she said obliviously, continuing to watch the occasional meteors spit across the sky.

"Oh no, no. Tracy hasn't bothered me anymore. I was really thinking maybe

… we could… go," he sputtered.

"If you want to that is. I know you said the dance would be dumb, and you would probably go do something more important with your time, but I thought it might be cool to go together…" he trailed off at this last word.

Que sat up straight.

"What? The dance? Together? You and me?" she said stunned. Her face felt hot, and she hadn't a clue what else to say as of yet.

"Umm… Yeah. I mean if you're not too busy," he said.

"Busy?" Que said dumbfounded. "Uhh, no of course. Yeah, we can g…"

She paused, glancing at the grounds beyond the roof.

"Get down!" she whispered harshly, pushing him down. Que put a finger to her lips for quiet then pointed toward the side of the lawn. Aasir gestured that he couldn't see anything, but Que was insistent and continued to point at what looked to Aasir to be a slight breeze by the woods. There among the edge of the trees Que could see the slight distortion and shimmer of a figure. The figure was slinking at the edge, hedging closer to the mansion, brush to brush.

Inside the mansion things were winding down for the night. Only the senior staff and a student or two were still up wandering the halls. Jean and Scott were curled up together in the library, Hank was still hoveled away in the laboratory, Peter, Storm, and Kurt had gone out for the night, and the Professor was alone in his office reading over some student papers.

Charles had had a long, and quite interesting day. Que finally sharing and confronting the guilt she had over her friend was still on his mind. She still had a long way to go, but he was becoming more hopeful about helping her. Though as consequence of their discussion, Charles had begun to wonder more about this faction that had preyed on they children. Que had said there had been ten being trained when she was there. He knew Que and Biel, and there was the first time she'd mentioned another comrade, Tomas, who had been killed in a training accident. So, that left seven unaccounted for, seven mutants who had been through similar experiences as Que. Charles jotted down a few of his thoughts on the matter and slid them into Que's file before continuing to ponder the situation.

He was abruptly interrupted when Que's voice filled his head.

 _"Professor! There is something on the grounds!"_ Que called to him.

 _"Que not so loud please. What is happening? Where are you?"_ he replied. Her thoughts had been so loud it made his ears slightly ring.

 _"On the roof with Aasir. Just look!"_ she said, again a touch louder than Charles would have prefered.

The image filled his mind and he too could see an almost invisible thing at the edge of the ground woods. It was well concealed and only the slight shimmer at the figures edges was what gave it away. Seeing through Que's perspective in real time was quite interesting in itself, Charles thought off handedly. The fact that such precise detail was visible at that distance was impressive. With her brief allowance into her thoughts, Charles could also feel what she was feeling. Her nerves were on edge, but she was not afraid for herself, and there was an overwhelming urge to act.

The image and input vanished.

 _"Que! I will signal the others. Stay where you are!"_ he commanded. There was silence. _"Que! I know you can hear me. Do not act rashly. Stay where you are,"_ Charles emphasized the last few words. The silence continued.

Stay where you are. What a ridiculous thing to say, Que thought. She needed to help. Whatever was out there couldn't be anything near the trouble they had faced at Christmas. Still, she didn't like the idea of an unannounced visitor encroaching on her home.

"Aasir, I'm going in for a closer look," she said. Aasir's expression fluctuated from disbelief to concern to determination.

"Fine. I'm coming too," he said.

"What?" Que said, surprised that he wasn't trying to stop her.

"Fine, but be something small or average," she said as Aasir rolled his eyes.

Aasir swifty shifted into a small grey mouse, scurried up Que's arm and hitched a ride on her shoulder. Que edged to the opposite side of the rooftop.

"Aasir you might want to hold on tight. I've been practicing something new," Que whispered. Before Aasir could make even a squeak of complaint Que sprank from the roof. Wind rushed all around as the ground neared. Aasir gave a long, shrill squeak, but just before they reached the ground Que made a hard upward blast of her own breeze. They landed neatly in a nealed position on the ground, and Que plucked a windblown Aasir from her shoulder and held him in her palm. All his fur stood on end and his eyes seemed a bit wide. Que gave a small laugh, but before she could say anything else. Aasir started squeaking furiously at her.

"Aasir, shh! Sorry, sorry. I'm kind of glad I don't speak mouse," she whispered, stroking his fur back down. Aasir turned his furry head irritably away from her and ceased squeaking.

"Oh don't be sore," she said placing him back on her shoulder. "Common, let's go greet our guest."

Que crept around the side of the mansion toward where she had seen the figure. It took her a moment, but she easily spotted the intruder. It had not moved much since they left the roof and seemed to be contemplating the best path toward the house. There was a lot of open land in between the woods, lake, and mansion, but it seemed to make up it's mind and started for the nearest patch of garden rocks and bushes.

Que decided the figure was already too close to the mansion, and it was time to act. Que ran from her hiding spot from the side of the mansion toward the figure. The earth began to shake and four large slabs of earth erupted up around the still mostly invisible intruder. The shimmering figure leaped skilfully onto one of the large slabs and bounded out, it's disguise falling away as it's concentration broke.

"Stop!" Que yelled as Aasir lept from her shoulder changing form into an equally agile panther. The figure turned to run, but a dome of electricity encircle the person.

"Who are you and why are you trying to sneak into the mansion?" Que asked authoritatively, straightening her stance, and giving the intruder a most steely glare.

This time the masked figure did stop and turned to look at Que and the still panther Aasir.

"Que?" the figure said quizzically.


End file.
